image via Al Jazeera
Courtesy of Colin Ward-Henninger, CBS Sports
The Golden State Warriors took a 1-0 series lead over the Houston Rockets on Sunday. Stephen Curry led the way with 31 points. Jimmy Butler was fantastic with 25 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals.
The Rockets trailed by as many as 23 but got it down to three late in the fourth quarter, but Golden State answered the run and closed it out late. This is what everyone was concerned about with Houston, not having a go-to scorer who can carry them in a close game’s late possessions.
The Warriors have no such problem with Butler getting to the rim and Curry hitting shots like this.
And this:
Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with 26 points but nobody else scored more than 11. The Rockets dominated on the offensive glass, where they’re going to be a major problem for Golden State all series, but for all the talk about the Rockets’ defense, Golden State is an elite defensive unit, too. Houston made just 6 of 29 3-pointers and shot 39% overall.
These two teams will now get two days off, which will help the older Warriors a lot more, with Game 2 set for Wednesday night in Houston.
