Game ID: 42400154
Houston Rockets @ Golden State Warriors
Monday, April 28, 2025 at 10:00 PM ET
Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
GSW 28 22 32 27 109HOU 26 31 23 26 106
GSW vs HOU ScoutingGSW vs HOU Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
GSW availability going into 4/13 · 1 day's restBACK Post back 4/11 after 2, 16 min since (101% of 15)
BACK Payton II back 4/04 after 4, 12 min since (80% of 15)
BACK Jackson-Davis back 4/04 after 2, 5 min since (37% of 15)
GSW availability going into 4/20 · 6 days' restBACK Post back 4/11 after 2, 13 min since (84% of 15)
BACK Payton II back 4/11 after 2, 20 min since (128% of 15)
GSW availability going into 4/23 · 2 days' restOUT Kuminga missed 2 since 4/13, returns tonight: 26 min (108% of 24)
OUT Jackson-Davis missed 2 since 4/13, returns tonight: 4 min (25% of 15)
BACK Post back 4/11 after 2, 13 min since (82% of 15)
BACK Payton II back 4/11 after 2, 18 min since (120% of 15)
NEW Podziemski 28 to 33 min over the last 5
GSW availability going into 4/26 · 2 days' restBACK Kuminga back 4/23 after 2, 26 min since (108% of 24)
BACK Post back 4/11 after 2, 16 min since (102% of 15)
BACK Payton II back 4/11 after 2, 17 min since (110% of 15)
BACK Jackson-Davis back 4/23 after 2, 4 min since (25% of 15)
NEW Moody 21 to 27 min over the last 5
GSW availability going into 4/28 · 1 day's restBACK Kuminga back 4/23 after 2, 21 min since (89% of 24)
BACK Post back 4/11 after 2, 18 min since (117% of 15)
BACK Payton II back 4/11 after 2, 18 min since (116% of 15)
BACK Jackson-Davis back 4/23 after 2, 4 min since (25% of 15)
GSW availability going into 4/30 · 1 day's restBACK Kuminga back 4/23 after 2, 21 min since (89% of 24)
BACK Jackson-Davis back 4/23 after 2, 5 min since (32% of 15)
NEW Curry 32 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Podziemski 28 to 33 min over the last 5
GSW availability going into 5/02 · 1 day's restOUT Kuminga missed 2 since 4/28, out tonight
BACK Jackson-Davis back 4/23 after 2, 7 min since (49% of 15)
GSW availability going into 5/04 · 1 day's restOUT Kuminga missed 3 since 4/28, returns tonight: 7 min (31% of 24)
BACK Jackson-Davis back 4/23 after 2, 6 min since (40% of 15)
NEW Post 15 to 21 min over the last 5
GSW availability going into 5/06 · 1 day's restBACK Kuminga back 5/04 after 3, 7 min since (31% of 24)
NEW Curry 32 to 38 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 4/13 · 1 day's restOUT VanVleet missed 2 since 4/09, returns tonight: 27 min (76% of 36)
OUT Thompson missed 2 since 4/09, returns tonight: 26 min (81% of 32)
OUT Sengun missed 2 since 4/09, returns tonight: 24 min (74% of 32)
OUT Brooks missed 2 since 4/09, returns tonight: 22 min (70% of 32)
OUT Smith Jr. missed 2 since 4/09, out tonight
OUT Adams missed 2 since 4/09, returns tonight: 17 min (116% of 15)
BACK Dante back 4/09 after 18, 14 min since (110% of 13)
BACK Landale back 4/09 after 2, 29 min since (252% of 12)
BACK Jef. Green back 4/09 after 2, 20 min since (176% of 12)
NEW Sheppard 12 to 18 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 4/20 · 6 days' restOUT Smith Jr. missed 3 since 4/09, returns tonight: 25 min (88% of 29)
OUT Tate missed 2 since 4/11, out tonight
BACK VanVleet back 4/13 after 2, 27 min since (76% of 36)
BACK Thompson back 4/13 after 2, 26 min since (81% of 32)
BACK Sengun back 4/13 after 2, 24 min since (74% of 32)
BACK Brooks back 4/13 after 2, 22 min since (70% of 32)
BACK Adams back 4/13 after 2, 17 min since (116% of 15)
BACK Dante back 4/09 after 18, 11 min since (84% of 13)
BACK Landale back 4/09 after 2, 23 min since (195% of 12)
BACK Jef. Green back 4/09 after 2, 17 min since (150% of 12)
NEW Sheppard 12 to 19 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 4/23 · 2 days' restOUT Tate missed 3 since 4/11, out tonight
BACK VanVleet back 4/13 after 2, 34 min since (95% of 36)
BACK Thompson back 4/13 after 2, 30 min since (92% of 32)
BACK Sengun back 4/13 after 2, 30 min since (93% of 32)
BACK Brooks back 4/13 after 2, 28 min since (89% of 32)
BACK Smith Jr. back 4/20 after 3, 25 min since (88% of 29)
BACK Adams back 4/13 after 2, 18 min since (124% of 15)
BACK Dante back 4/09 after 18, 11 min since (84% of 13)
BACK Landale back 4/09 after 2, 23 min since (195% of 12)
BACK Jef. Green back 4/09 after 2, 17 min since (150% of 12)
NEW Whitmore 15 to 22 min over the last 4
NEW Sheppard 12 to 24 min over the last 4
HOU availability going into 4/26 · 2 days' restOUT Landale missed 2 since 4/20, out tonight
OUT Tate missed 4 since 4/11, out tonight
BACK VanVleet back 4/13 after 2, 37 min since (103% of 36)
BACK Thompson back 4/13 after 2, 27 min since (85% of 32)
BACK Sengun back 4/13 after 2, 32 min since (101% of 32)
BACK Brooks back 4/13 after 2, 27 min since (85% of 32)
BACK Smith Jr. back 4/20 after 3, 25 min since (85% of 29)
BACK Adams back 4/13 after 2, 18 min since (120% of 15)
BACK Dante back 4/09 after 18, 11 min since (84% of 13)
BACK Jef. Green back 4/09 after 2, 13 min since (117% of 12)
NEW Whitmore 15 to 22 min over the last 4
NEW Sheppard 12 to 24 min over the last 4
HOU availability going into 4/28 · 1 day's restOUT Landale missed 3 since 4/20, out tonight
OUT Tate missed 5 since 4/11, out tonight
BACK VanVleet back 4/13 after 2, 38 min since (105% of 36)
BACK Thompson back 4/13 after 2, 30 min since (92% of 32)
BACK Sengun back 4/13 after 2, 32 min since (102% of 32)
BACK Brooks back 4/13 after 2, 27 min since (86% of 32)
BACK Smith Jr. back 4/20 after 3, 25 min since (86% of 29)
BACK Adams back 4/13 after 2, 18 min since (121% of 15)
NEW Sheppard 12 to 20 min over the last 3
HOU availability going into 4/30 · 1 day's restOUT Whitmore missed 2 since 4/26, returns tonight: 2 min (11% of 15)
OUT Holiday missed 2 since 4/26, returns tonight: 16 min (130% of 13)
OUT Sheppard missed 2 since 4/26, returns tonight: 7 min (55% of 12)
OUT Landale missed 4 since 4/20, returns tonight: 5 min (41% of 12)
OUT Jef. Green missed 2 since 4/26, returns tonight: 2 min (15% of 12)
OUT Tate missed 6 since 4/11, out tonight
BACK VanVleet back 4/13 after 2, 38 min since (107% of 36)
BACK Thompson back 4/13 after 2, 30 min since (93% of 32)
BACK Sengun back 4/13 after 2, 34 min since (108% of 32)
BACK Brooks back 4/13 after 2, 29 min since (92% of 32)
BACK Smith Jr. back 4/20 after 3, 24 min since (84% of 29)
BACK Adams back 4/13 after 2, 20 min since (132% of 15)
HOU availability going into 5/02 · 1 day's restOUT Tate missed 7 since 4/11, out tonight
BACK Smith Jr. back 4/20 after 3, 23 min since (78% of 29)
BACK Whitmore back 4/30 after 2, 2 min since (11% of 15)
BACK Holiday back 4/30 after 2, 16 min since (130% of 13)
BACK Sheppard back 4/30 after 2, 7 min since (55% of 12)
BACK Landale back 4/30 after 4, 5 min since (41% of 12)
BACK Jef. Green back 4/30 after 2, 2 min since (15% of 12)
HOU availability going into 5/04 · 1 day's restOUT Tate missed 8 since 4/11, out tonight
BACK Whitmore back 4/30 after 2, 2 min since (10% of 15)
BACK Holiday back 4/30 after 2, 11 min since (87% of 13)
BACK Sheppard back 4/30 after 2, 4 min since (32% of 12)
BACK Landale back 4/30 after 4, 5 min since (41% of 12)
BACK Jef. Green back 4/30 after 2, 2 min since (14% of 12)
NEW Adams 15 to 22 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 99, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 20 free throws a game; Curry at 27 and Butler III at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 12 a night. One day's rest. Houston comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 112, shooting 43 percent and 34 from three, 18 free throws a game; Sengun at 18 and Whitmore at 15 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest.
So: Golden State wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-6 a night and Golden State minus-12 and the defense, Golden State allowing 99 a night to Houston's 112. Call it Golden State 111, Houston 104.
4/13 vs LAC 119-124 — GSW notes
GSW lost 119-124 in 1 overtime. GSW shot 54% (43 of 79) to LAC's 56%, 15 of 33 from three. The glass went 25-42 against them. Curry led with 36 (10 of 20, 7 of 12 from three, 9 of 9 at the line); Butler III added 30, Podziemski 19. Q1 was theirs, 33-25, but the other 4 periods went 99-86 against them. They led by as many as 12. Curry's -16 in 38 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/20 @ HOU 95-85 — GSW notes
GSW won 95-85. GSW shot 47% (36 of 76) to HOU's 39%, 12 of 32 from three, and got to the line 14 times to HOU's 20. GSW turned it over 11 times to HOU's 16. The glass went 36-52 against them. Curry led with 31 (12 of 19, 5 of 9 from three); Butler III added 25, Podziemski 14. The hinge was Q2, 29-13: GSW came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 13, and the lead reached 23. Podziemski was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
4/23 @ HOU 94-109 — GSW notes
GSW lost 94-109. GSW shot 41% (33 of 80) to HOU's 45%, 17 of 43 from three. GSW turned it over 15 times to HOU's 10, and HOU turned those into 9 steals. The glass went 33-47 against them. Curry led with 20 (6 of 15, 4 of 9 from three); Post added 12, Moody 12. Q4 was theirs, 23-22, the deficit cut from 16 to 15, but the other 3 periods went 87-71 against them. Green's -13 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/26 vs HOU 104-93 — GSW notes
GSW won 104-93. GSW shot 43% (39 of 90) to HOU's 40%, 14 of 45 from three, and got to the line 15 times to HOU's 24. Curry led with 36 (12 of 23, 5 of 13 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Hield added 17, Payton II 16. The hinge was Q4, 35-22: GSW came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 11. GSW trailed 46-49 at the half and won the second half 58-44. Curry was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
4/28 vs HOU 109-106 — GSW notes
GSW won 109-106. GSW shot 42% (36 of 86) to HOU's 49%, 17 of 46 from three, and got to the line 22 times to HOU's 31. GSW turned it over 8 times to HOU's 13. Butler III led with 27 (7 of 12, 12 of 12 at the line); Podziemski added 26, Curry 17. The hinge was Q3, 32-23: GSW came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 2. GSW trailed 50-57 at the half and won the second half 59-49. Green was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
4/30 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 106, shooting 44 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Sengun at 21 and VanVleet at 15 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Whitmore (2 straight). One day's rest. Golden State comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 103, shooting 45 percent and 38 from three, 18 free throws a game; Curry at 28 and Butler III at 21 a game. It has lost the glass by 12 a night. One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-8 a night and Golden State minus-12. Call it Houston 108, Golden State 107, Golden State keeping it close.
5/02 vs HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 105, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Curry at 23 and Butler III at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Kuminga (2 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 104, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 27 free throws a game; Sengun at 21 and VanVleet at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: Golden State wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-7 a night and Golden State minus-7 and the line, where Houston takes 27 free throws a game to Golden State's 18. Call it Golden State 109, Houston 107, Houston keeping it close.
5/04 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 106, shooting 47 percent and 41 from three, 32 free throws a game; VanVleet at 21 and Sengun at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. Golden State comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 111, shooting 42 percent and 34 from three, 20 free throws a game; Curry at 23 and Butler III at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Kuminga (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the line, where Houston takes 32 free throws a game to Golden State's 20 and the glass, where Houston has been plus-4 a night and Golden State minus-4. Call it Houston 113, Golden State 107.
5/06 @ MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 100, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 24 free throws a game; Edwards at 27 and Randle at 23 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 5 days' rest. Golden State comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 107, shooting 43 percent and 35 from three, 18 free throws a game; Curry at 23 and Butler III at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-5 a night and Golden State minus-4 and the line, where Minnesota takes 24 free throws a game to Golden State's 18. Call it Minnesota 111, Golden State 106.
4/13 vs DEN 111-126 — HOU notes
HOU lost 111-126. HOU took 12 more shots (100 to 88), fed by 16 offensive rebounds, but shot 45% to DEN's 51%, 12 of 34 from three, and got to the line 14 times to DEN's 31. VanVleet led with 15 (5 of 13, 3 of 8 from three); Thompson added 15, Sengun 14. Q4 was theirs, 40-24, the deficit cut from 31 to 15, but the other 3 periods went 102-71 against them. Adams's -23 in 17 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/20 vs GSW 85-95 — HOU notes
HOU lost 85-95. HOU took 11 more shots (87 to 76), fed by 22 offensive rebounds, but shot 39% to GSW's 47%, 6 of 29 from three, and went to the line 20 times to GSW's 14 — 11 points from the stripe to their 11. HOU turned it over 16 times to GSW's 11, and GSW turned those into 14 steals. The glass went 52-36 for them. Sengun led with 26 (11 of 18); Brooks added 11, Smith Jr. 11. Q3 was theirs, 26-22, the deficit cut from 13 to 9, but the other 3 periods went 73-59 against them. Thompson's -16 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/23 vs GSW 109-94 — HOU notes
HOU won 109-94. HOU shot 45% (39 of 86) to GSW's 41%, 15 of 40 from three. HOU turned it over 10 times to GSW's 15. The glass went 47-33 for them. Ja. Green led with 38 (13 of 25, 8 of 18 from three); Sengun added 17, Brooks 16. The hinge was Q1, 28-18: from level to 10 ahead, and the lead reached 20. Sengun was the night's best plus/minus at +28.
4/26 @ GSW 93-104 — HOU notes
HOU lost 93-104. HOU shot 40% (34 of 86) to GSW's 43%, 11 of 28 from three, and went to the line 24 times to GSW's 15 — 14 points from the stripe to their 12. VanVleet led with 17 (5 of 14, 3 of 9 from three); Sengun added 15, Brooks 13. Q1 was theirs, 22-18, but the other 3 periods went 86-71 against them. They led by as many as 13. VanVleet's -16 in 41 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/28 @ GSW 106-109 — HOU notes
HOU lost 106-109. HOU shot 49% (38 of 77) to GSW's 42%, 11 of 23 from three, and went to the line 31 times to GSW's 22 — 19 points from the stripe to their 20. HOU turned it over 13 times to GSW's 8. Sengun led with 31 (12 of 28, 7 of 10 at the line); VanVleet added 25, Thompson 17. Q2 was theirs, 31-22, turning a 2-point deficit into a 7-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 87-75 against them. Thompson's -17 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/30 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 106, shooting 44 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Sengun at 21 and VanVleet at 15 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Whitmore (2 straight). One day's rest. Golden State comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 103, shooting 45 percent and 38 from three, 18 free throws a game; Curry at 28 and Butler III at 21 a game. It has lost the glass by 12 a night. One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-8 a night and Golden State minus-12. Call it Houston 108, Golden State 107, Golden State keeping it close.
5/02 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 105, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Curry at 23 and Butler III at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Kuminga (2 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 104, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 27 free throws a game; Sengun at 21 and VanVleet at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: Golden State wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-7 a night and Golden State minus-7 and the line, where Houston takes 27 free throws a game to Golden State's 18. Call it Golden State 109, Houston 107, Houston keeping it close.
5/04 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 106, shooting 47 percent and 41 from three, 32 free throws a game; VanVleet at 21 and Sengun at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. Golden State comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 111, shooting 42 percent and 34 from three, 20 free throws a game; Curry at 23 and Butler III at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Kuminga (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the line, where Houston takes 32 free throws a game to Golden State's 20 and the glass, where Houston has been plus-4 a night and Golden State minus-4. Call it Houston 113, Golden State 107.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
HOUAS A. Sengun
AT A. Thompson
DB D. Brooks
FV F. VanVleet
JG J. Green
JS J. Smith Jr.
JG Ja. Green
SA S. Adams
TE T. Eason
GSWBH B. Hield
BP B. Podziemski
DG D. Green
GP G. Payton II
JB J. Butler III
KL K. Looney
MM M. Moody
QP Q. Post
SC S. Curry
TJ T. Jackson-Davis
HOU/GSW the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Jimmy Butler returns from injury absence to lead Warriors past Rockets 109-106 for 3-1 series lead
SAN FRANCISCO -- — Jimmy Butler converted three free throws with 58.7 seconds left, grabbed the game-clinching rebound with 4 seconds to go and then made two more free throws on the way to 27 points in his return from a pelvic injury, sending the Golden State Warriors past the Houston Rockets 109-106 on Monday night in a heated Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead in the first-round playoff series.
Fred VanVleet missed a 3-pointer under pressure at the buzzer.
The teams return to Houston for Game 5 in the best-of-seven series on Wednesday night as seventh-seeded Golden State tries to close out the No. 2 seed Rockets on their home floor.
Brandin Podziemski scored 26 points, Stephen Curry finished with 17 in the frantic finish and Buddy Hield hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:32 left and scored 15 after joining the starting lineup.
Alperen Sengun scored with 40 seconds left for Houston to make it a one-point game. He had 31 points and 10 rebounds, while VanVleet hit a tying 3-pointer with 1:20 to play and scored 25 points.
Butler was back after sitting out Game 3 with a pelvic contusion and deep gluteal muscle bruise suffered on a hard fall when he was fouled by Amen Thompson early in Game 2.
The second quarter Monday featured four technical fouls and a flagrant 1 in two separate tussles , including shoving during one sequence involving Curry, Draymond Green and Dillon Brooks .
With the game tied at 36, Curry dribbled down the sideline when Green put a hard screen on Houston’s Amen Thompson. Brooks fouled Curry and he appeared to become angry about the push before going at Curry and Green.
Curry received a technical for “taunting” Brooks, who also received a technical along with Green. Warriors rookie Quinten Post and Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. flailed their arms at each other but avoided technicals upon replay review by the officials.
Then with 2:44 left in the quarter, tempers flared again. Green received a Flagrant 1 foul for pushing Tari Eason’s face to the ground and Eason also received a technical. Green was dribbling when Eason went for a steal and the ball got loose and both players hit the floor trying to corral it. Green’s left leg was on the Rockets forward’s neck.
Butler shot 7 for 12 in 40 minutes after he watched Curry overcome a slow start to finish with 36 points , nine assists and seven rebounds in Golden State's 104-93 victory Saturday night without him.