Apr 5, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts with Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski (2) after losing his shoe during the first half against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
After beating the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament, the Golden State Warriors got a favorable draw for their first-round matchup by facing the Houston Rockets.
The Warriors showed their superiority in Game 1 on Sunday, beating the Rockets in Houston 95-85, led by incredible performances from veteran stars Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler. Curry and Butler combined for 56 points on 22-38 shooting from the field, while only one other player scored in double-digits: Brandin Podziemski.
Apr 9, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski (2) complains to the referee during a game against the San Antonio Spurs in the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images / David Gonzales-Imagn Images
Podziemski dropped 14 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals in Sunday’s win, but now the starting guard might not suit up for Game 2.
After being left off the injury report, the Warriors have unexpectedly downgraded Podziemski to questionable for Wednesday night’s Game 2 due to illness.
Warriors’ guard Brandin Podziemski had been downgraded to questionable for tonight’s Game 2 against the Rockets due to an illness.
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) April 23, 2025
Podziemski finished his sophomore season averaging 11.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game with 44.5/37.2/75.8 shooting splits. Now, in the playoffs, Podziemski is undoubtedly one of Golden State’s most important players.
Golden State’s depth has been a serious concern for the majority of their season, so being down a starter in a huge playoff game would be a significant blow. Podziemski does wonders for the Warriors, and despite largely going unnoticed, is an unbelievably important player for them.
Brandin Podziemski was perhaps the best role player in Game 1. Warriors will need him to keep flying around defensively, making threes, and finding his teammates tonight pic.twitter.com/eZ45WQmeOh
— Charlie Cummings (@klaytheist11) April 23, 2025
The Warriors have the firepower to beat the Rockets in Game 2 even without Podziemski, although it would make their job much harder.
The Warriors and Rockets will face off in Houston at 9:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday on TNT.
