The Golden State Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets 109-106 on Monday night in a tense Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead in the first-round playoff series. Jimmy Butler made three free throws with 58.7 seconds remaining, grabbed the game-winning rebound with 4 seconds remaining, and then made two more free throws on his way to 27 points in his comeback from a pelvic injury.
On Wednesday night, the teams head back to Houston for Game 5 of the best-of-seven series, when seventh-seeded Golden State will attempt to defeat the Rockets, who are ranked second, at home.
In the wild end, Buddy Hield made the game-winning 3-pointer with 3:32 remaining, Stephen Curry finished with 17 points, and Brandin Podziemski had 26 points.
With 40 seconds remaining, Houston’s Alperen Sengun scored to cut the game to one point. VanVleet scored 25 points and made a game-winning 3-pointer with 1:20 remaining, while he finished with 31 points and 10 rebounds.
After missing Game 3 due to a pelvic contusion and a serious injury on his gluteal muscle after a hard fall after being fouled by Amen Thompson early in Game 2, Butler returned.
Curry, Draymond Green, and Dillon Brooks shoved each other during one of the two different tussles in the second quarter on Monday, which resulted in four technical fouls and a flagrant 1.
When Green hard-screened Houston’s Amen Thompson with the game tied at 36, Curry dribbled down the sideline.
For “taunting” Brooks, Curry was given a technical, and Brooks and Green were both given a technical. After referees reviewed the footage, Quinten Post, a rookie for the Warriors, and Jabari Smith Jr. of Houston thrashed their arms at one another without receiving any technicals.
Then, with 2:44 remaining in the quarter, tensions erupted once more. For forcing Tari Eason’s face to the ground, Green was given a Flagrant 1 penalty; Eason was also given a technical. When Eason attempted a steal while Green was dribbling, the ball slipped and both players fell to the ground in an attempt to get it.
After seeing Curry overcome a bad start to end with 36 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds in Golden State’s 104-93 victory on Saturday, Butler went 7-for-12 in 40 minutes.
