This was the game the Rockets needed to win on the road. Jimmy Butler was sitting on the bench in a brown sweat suit, out with a pelvic contusion after his fall in Game 2. The Warriors are not the same team without him.
Instead, it was the Stephen Curry show. He took over in the second half and dropped 36 on Houston’s long, athletic defense.
With that win, the Warriors are up 2-1 in the series with Game 4 in the Bay Area Monday night. Jimmy Butler could return for that game, and if the Warriors win with him, it will seem the Rockets missed their window.
The Rockets were ahead for much of the first half, with that lead growing to 13 at one point.
The spark the Warriors needed to turn things around came from Buddy Hield. He started draining 3s in the first half and cutting the Rockets’ lead down to size.
It was a rough game for Houston. This is a team built on defense, but they seemed to lose Curry and give him too much space too often. Additionally, their half-court offense stagnated much of the night.
The Warriors learned their lesson from Game 2, when Jalen Green went off for 38. They made him play in a crowd. For the game, the Rockets were led by Fred VanVleet with 17 points (13 of those in the first quarter), while Alperen Sengun added 15 points and 11 rebounds. Nobody could score enough for Houston.
Still, the Rockets fought back and even led 84-83 with 5:47 to go, but then the Warriors went on a 21-9 run to close out the game. A run fueled by Curry.
The Rockets need to find their own offensive fuel by Monday or they will find themselves on the edge of elimination.
