The Golden State Warriors picked up a strong 95-85 win over the Houston Rockets in their Game 1 Playoff clash tonight. The No. 2 seed Rockets couldn’t overcome the brilliance of four-time champion Stephen Curry, who led all players in scoring and hit clutch threes to spoil a 23-point comeback attempt by the Rockets.
Curry’s performance was the difference-maker in what turned out to be a hard-fought defensive clash between both squads. Warriors forward Draymond Green wanted Curry’s game-winning performance to get the love it deserves, hailing him as the GOAT after the win.
“That deep one from the Toyota Center… Absolutely insane. That’s why he’s the GOAT.”
"That's why he's the GOAT."
Draymond on Steph's incredible 3-point shooting tonight 🐐 pic.twitter.com/sqAwIMvdQ7
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 21, 2025
Stephen Curry was the architect of the win with 31 points (12-19 FG, 5-9 3PM), six rebounds, three assists, and one steal. He scored nearly a third of the Warriors’ points, and his late fourth-quarter shots were integral in ensuring the Rockets couldn’t take the lead despite coming within three points of that in the fourth quarter.
Stephen Curry ARE YOU SERIOUS 🤯 pic.twitter.com/H1bfH6YHxZ
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) April 21, 2025
Curry’s incredible shooting ability will always make him the biggest difference-maker on the court. We recently saw this same Rockets defense hold Steph to just three points in a game, so tonight was a reminder to them that they can’t expect to restrict Curry in that way again.
Multiple defenders were thrown at Steph, with his primary matchup being Amen Thompson. We saw Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks all take a stab at guarding Curry as well, with all three options seeming lacklustre given how easily Steph was able to impact the game.
With Jimmy Butler putting up 25 points (10-19 FG), seven rebounds, six assists, and five steals by his side, it became an even harder challenge for the Rockets to solve. They did great to restrict most of the rotation to dismal shooting nights, but Curry and Butler combined to score 58.9% of the Warriors’ points in this win, and that was a bridge too far for Houston.
The Rockets’ offense is their main problem. The team’s defense tonight was fantastic on the whole, but players like Curry can break defenses easily. That’s what he did tonight. He might have a cold game at some point in this series, but his ability to seal wins like the one tonight is always awe-inspiring.
Curry averaged 24.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.0 assists this season. He’s averaged 27.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists in 148 games in the Playoffs over his career, adding tonight’s stats to his career average.
