Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green intercepts the ball in front of Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) in the fourth quarter Saturday during Game 3 of the first-round series at Chase Center on Saturday.
Santiago Mejia/S.F. Chronicle
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry naturally hopes his sidekick, Jimmy Butler, sheds his fancy coat and suits up for Game 4 against Houston on Monday night.
That seems like a realistic scenario, after Butler missed Saturday’s game because of his pelvis/deep gluteal muscle contusion. Butler will be questionable for Game 4, head coach Steve Kerr said Sunday on a Zoom call with reporters.
Even if Butler doesn’t return, Curry figures he and his teammates found fresh faith in the way they dispatched the Rockets in Game 3.
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“Hopefully, he’s back next game,” Curry said of Butler. “If he’s not, we can still play at a high level and win a tough, physical playoff game. … If there’s a situation where somebody is not available, there’s got to be belief and confidence. Two months ago, I don’t know if we had that.”
Their belief and confidence soared once Butler made his Warriors debut Feb. 8. The Warriors won 23 of their final 31 regular-season games, then beat Memphis in the play-in bracket and now have taken a 2-1 lead on Houston in their first-round, best-of-seven Western Conference series.
Monday night’s game at Chase Center, then, represents a chance to push the Rockets to the brink of elimination. Whether or not Butler plays, the Warriors know a central piece of their formula involves cranking up their defense.
Golden State improved dramatically on that end of the court after Butler arrived, jumping from 10th in the NBA over its first 51 regular-season games to No. 1 over the final 31. The Warriors allowed 109 points per 100 possessions in those 31 games — and they’ve been even better in the playoffs.
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They ranked second among the league’s 16 playoff teams in defensive rating through Saturday, allowing 103.6 points per 100 possessions. The Warriors held the Rockets, who were 12th in offensive rating during the regular season, under 100 points in Game 1 (a 95-85 win) and again Saturday (104-93) without Butler.
Houston guard Jalen Green, after busting loose for 38 points in Game 2, managed only nine in Game 3.
“The big difference for us was defensive presence, pressure on the ball and activity level,” Kerr said Sunday. “That was much better last night than in Game 2.”
Or, as guard Brandin Podziemski said, “We obviously gave (Jalen Green) space and freedom in Game 2, but in the other games we were more physical, challenged more of his shots and put him in positions where he wasn’t as comfortable.”
Golden State also held its own on the glass. Houston owned a 51-45 rebounding edge Saturday, but that modest disparity marked significant progress for the Warriors. Rookie center Quinten Post grabbed a career-high 12 boards, and Draymond Green (eight) and Curry (seven) also made an impact.
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That allowed the Warriors to overcome tepid rebounding from Jonathan Kuminga, who had only one in nearly 17 minutes.
If Butler plays Monday night, Kerr figures to return to his most reliable lineup: Curry and Podziemski in the backcourt, with Moses Moody, Butler and Green on the frontline. The Warriors are 18-4 with that group starting, including their play-in win and the first two games of this Rockets series.
If Butler cannot play Monday, will Kerr stick with his Game 3 lineup? Kuminga and Post started in place of Butler and Moody. That gave Golden State more size, though Kuminga and Post weren’t part of Kerr’s closing lineup.
The Warriors mostly closed with a four-guard alignment: Green flanked by Curry, Podziemski, Gary Payton II and Buddy Hield.
As for Kuminga, the subject of much debate after he didn’t play in the final regular-season game and first two postseason games, Kerr praised his defense Saturday on Jalen Green. Kuminga guarded Green for extended stretches.
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“I thought Jonathan played important minutes for us last night without Jimmy,” Kerr said. “We started him on Green, he put a lot of pressure on him early and set a good tone. He made a couple of big baskets in the third quarter.
“It wasn’t his best night, it wasn’t a headline night, but he did what we needed him to do.”
And now the Warriors hope to get their headliner back Monday night. Payton, for one, sounded eager to see Butler on the court again.
“We had Jimmy’s back while he was out,” Payton said. “Hopefully, we get Jimmy back for Game 4 and we get back to our regular scheduled program.”
