ByJustin Estuart
Sunday, April 27, 2025 3:22AM
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SAN FRANCISCO, California (KTRK) — The Houston Rockets fell short in a 104-93 loss on the road against the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of their first-round series on Saturday night.
Houston is now down two games to one. The seventh-seeded Warriors, who played without star forward Jimmy Butler III (left pelvic contusion), are now 1-1 in the series without him in the lineup.
For the game, the Rockets went with their usual starting five of Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Amen Thompson, and Alperen Sengun. The Warriors changed things up by inserting Jonathan Kuminga and Quinten Post with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Brandin Podziemski.
In the first quarter, VanVleet carried the Rockets offense by scoring 13 points. On the other hand, Curry found his offensive groove with 13 points in the second quarter after his shooting woes with just two points in the first quarter.
At halftime, Houston led 49-46 over Golden State. In the first half, the Rockets were shooting 40% from three (6-15 3Pt), while the Warriors shot 26% from beyond the arc (6-23 3Pt).
In the third quarter, both teams traded the lead multiple times. In the fourth quarter, Curry, the NBA’s all-time leader in career three-pointers, passed Spurs legend Tony Parker for 10th in the league’s all-time playoff scoring list.
Concerning the Rockets, VanVleet, who scored 17 for the game, couldn’t find a rhythm after a hot start in the first quarter. Sengun finished with 15 points and 11 boards, while forward Dillon Brooks had 13 points and six rebounds.
For the Warriors, Curry did the heavy lifting with 36 points, but guard Gary Payton caught fire in the fourth quarter, finishing with 16 points off the bench. Guard Buddy Hield recorded 17 off the bench.
In total, there were six ties and 18 lead changes throughout the course of the game. The status for Butler III still remains up in the air after Game 3.
The Rockets will look to bounce back to tie the series 2-2 on Monday, April 28.
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