Golden State Warriors fans have seen this story many times before—and they’ll never get tired of it.
Stephen Curry delivered yet another playoff masterpiece on Sunday night, dropping 31 points to lead the Warriors to a 95-85 road win over the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of their First Round series.
Much was made about the Rockets holding Curry to just three points in their final regular season matchup—but Game 1 was a statement. He shot a blistering 63.6% from the field, including 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.
However, in true Curry fashion, these weren’t just routine threes. Deep bombs from the logo, tight defense, shot clock winding down, off balance fading away—it didn’t matter, Curry made the three.
After the game, head coach Steve Kerr and Jimmy Butler use the same word to describe Curry’s performance: “Incredible.”
Butler said the shots Curry “takes and makes are absolutely incredible.” About his fallaway third-quarter triple: “For him to know that ball is going in and for everybody probably in the building, maybe even in the world, to know that ball is going in — it’s incredible.”
— Sam Gordon (@BySamGordon) April 21, 2025
The Warriors now lead the series 1-0 and have taken control of home-court advantage. They’ll look to carry this momentum into Game 2 on Wednesday, with Curry, once again, expected to be the hero that the Warriors need for this playoff run.
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Monday, April 21st:
Warriors News:
Warriors are confident they’ve solved the Rockets — if they can limit mistakes | The Athletic
“Our defense is excellent,” Kerr said. “We just held a helluva team to 85 points on their home floor. Our defense is big-time. We’re going to count on that.”
But …
“But we’ve got to recognize that we don’t need to take chances in this series,” Kerr said. “We need to be clean with our execution in transition. We don’t need to dribble through traffic. We don’t need to throw lob passes to try to get a dunk. We’ve gotta be rock solid. If we’re rock solid, smart and tough, I think we’ll be in good shape.”
That’s why Kerr is blowing a gasket every time Golden State makes the type of simple but debilitating mistake he believes will breathe life into a fast and physical Rockets team that the Warriors believe can’t stay with them in a more condensed, traditional setting.
Steve Kerr on Jimmy Butler: “One of the best players in the league”
Draymond Green and Steve Kerr on the stability Jimmy Butler brings to the Warriors offense:
DRAYMOND: “It always just settles the offense down … He’s such a huge calming force for us. [He] just calms everything down, gets us to our spots and gets us a good look.” pic.twitter.com/xfjFDsb68m
— KNBR (@KNBR) April 21, 2025
Rockets’ defense ‘good enough’ vs. Warriors, let down by offense | ESPN
Five players (Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr.) in Houston’s eight-man rotation made their playoff debuts.
“It’s my first [playoff] game,” Green said. “I’m not too worried about it. I got a taste of what it was, and I’ve just got to answer back. I’ve got to take my time, make the right reads, get the pacing I want and just hunt the shots that I need to get. I feel like I’ve already seen what they’re doing out there throughout 82 games. Just got to be better. We’re doing our job defensively. We’ve just got to score the ball, and we can’t leave [Sengun] out there by himself just to score the ball.”
Steve Kerr earns 100th career playoff win
Draymond Green named a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year
NBA News:
Game 1 lessons from all eight first-round NBA playoff series: Knicks can go big, Thunder make statement | CBS Sports
So what’s the fix? It would be nice if Hayes played better, for one, but let’s table that thought. The Lakers have to be more intentional about punishing the mismatches they can find. If Mike Conley is on the floor, he needs to be switch-hunted. if Dončić can draw Gobert out of the paint, it’s incumbent upon either the cutters to occupy that space or for the secondary ball-handlers, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, to attack it when the ball swings around. Dončić doesn’t have his preferred roster yet. Until then, the Lakers will have to improvise on talent and guile.
Ja Morant vows Grizzlies ‘will never play that bad again’ | ESPN
The 51-point margin is the fifth highest in a playoff game in NBA history, according to ESPN Research. It’s the most lopsided playoff game in the league since the Chicago Bulls defeated the Milwaukee Bucks by 54 in a 2015 first-round game.
Oklahoma City, which didn’t play any of its starters in the fourth quarter, led by as many as 56 points. The record for largest margin of victory in a playoff game is 58, set by the Minneapolis Lakers over the St. Louis Hawks in 1956 and matched by the Denver Nuggets over the New Orleans Hornets in 2009.
NBA reveals finalists for 2024-25 regular season awards
In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:
Player grades: Warriors vs. Rockets Game 1
Brandin Podziemski
35 minutes, 14 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 5-for-13 shooting, 3-for-8 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, 52.1% TS, +17
There was perhaps a little reason for concern that Podziemski would struggle in this matchup given how athletic the Rockets are. But those concerns looked foolish on Sunday. Podziemski matched up just fine with Houston, in every phase. He was a menace on the glass, played strong defense, and was able to penetrate the defense to create looks for teammates. And he added in a huge late three.
Welcome to the playoffs, Podz. You look right at home.
Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds, best plus/minus on the team.
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