Game ID: 42400157
Golden State Warriors @ Houston Rockets
Sunday, May 4, 2025 at 8:30 PM ET
Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
HOU 19 20 23 27 89GSW 23 28 19 33 103
GSW @ HOU ScoutingGSW @ 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.
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
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
GSW availability going into 5/08 · 1 day's restBACK Kuminga back 5/04 after 3, 10 min since (43% of 24)
NEW Butler III 34 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Hield 23 to 28 min over the last 5
GSW availability going into 5/10 · 1 day's restBACK Kuminga back 5/04 after 3, 16 min since (65% of 24)
GSW availability going into 5/12 · 1 day's restOUT Curry missed 2 since 5/08, out tonight
BACK Kuminga back 5/04 after 3, 21 min since (86% of 24)
NEW Butler III 34 to 41 min over the last 5
NEW Podziemski 28 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Hield 23 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Payton II 15 to 21 min over the last 4
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.
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 131-116 — HOU notes
HOU won 131-116. HOU shot 55% (43 of 78) to GSW's 42%, 13 of 30 from three, and went to the line 38 times to GSW's 22 — 32 points from the stripe to their 15. The glass went 39-49 against them. VanVleet led with 26 (8 of 13, 4 of 6 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Thompson added 25, Brooks 24. The hinge was Q1, 40-24: from level to 16 ahead, and the lead reached 31. Thompson was the night's best plus/minus at +32.
5/02 @ GSW 115-107 — HOU notes
HOU won 115-107. HOU shot 45% (35 of 78) to GSW's 41%, 12 of 30 from three, and went to the line 46 times to GSW's 22 — 33 points from the stripe to their 18. HOU turned it over 11 times to GSW's 16. VanVleet led with 29 (7 of 13, 6 of 9 from three, 9 of 9 at the line); Sengun added 21, Adams 17. The hinge was Q4, 29-23: a lead of 2 became 8, and the lead reached 17. Ja. Green was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
5/04 vs GSW 89-103 — HOU notes
HOU lost 89-103. HOU shot 40% (34 of 84) to GSW's 48%, 6 of 18 from three, and went to the line 21 times to GSW's 9 — 15 points from the stripe to their 7. The glass went 52-38 for them. Thompson led with 24 (9 of 16, 6 of 6 at the line); Sengun added 21, VanVleet 17. Q3 was theirs, 23-19, the deficit cut from 12 to 8, but the other 3 periods went 84-66 against them. Sengun's -12 in 40 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 116-131 — GSW notes
GSW lost 116-131. GSW took 25 more shots (103 to 78), fed by 25 offensive rebounds, but shot 42% to HOU's 55%, 15 of 44 from three, and got to the line 22 times to HOU's 38. The glass went 49-39 for them. Moody led with 25 (9 of 18, 3 of 7 from three); Knox II added 14, Curry 13. Q4 was theirs, 36-24, the deficit cut from 27 to 15, but the other 3 periods went 107-80 against them. Green's -29 in 18 minutes was the worst on the floor.
5/02 vs HOU 107-115 — GSW notes
GSW lost 107-115. GSW took 12 more shots (90 to 78), fed by 13 offensive rebounds, but shot 41% to HOU's 45%, 15 of 49 from three, and got to the line 22 times to HOU's 46. GSW turned it over 16 times to HOU's 11, and HOU turned those into 12 steals. Curry led with 29 (9 of 23, 6 of 16 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Butler III added 27, Moody 13. Q3 was theirs, 36-33, the deficit cut from 5 to 2, but the other 3 periods went 82-71 against them. Moody's -16 in 22 minutes was the worst on the floor.
5/04 @ HOU 103-89 — GSW notes
GSW won 103-89. GSW shot 48% (39 of 82) to HOU's 40%, 18 of 43 from three, and got to the line 9 times to HOU's 21. The glass went 38-52 against them. Hield led with 33 (12 of 15, 9 of 11 from three); Curry added 22, Butler III 20. The hinge was Q2, 28-20: a lead of 4 became 12, and the lead reached 20. Green was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
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.
5/08 @ MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 102 a night and allowing 101, shooting 42 percent and 25 from three, 26 free throws a game; Edwards at 27 and Randle at 23 a game. One day's rest. Golden State comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 106, shooting 42 percent and 37 from three, 18 free throws a game; Butler III at 20 and Curry at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the arc, Golden State at 37 percent from three to Minnesota's 25 and the line, where Minnesota takes 26 free throws a game to Golden State's 18. Call it Minnesota 109, Golden State 106, Golden State keeping it close.
5/10 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 108, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Curry at 19 and Butler III at 18 a game. One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 101, shooting 44 percent and 30 from three, 25 free throws a game; Edwards at 26 and Randle at 22 a game. One day's rest.
So: Golden State wins, and the game turns on the arc, Golden State at 36 percent from three to Minnesota's 30 and the line, where Minnesota takes 25 free throws a game to Golden State's 19. Call it Golden State 109, Minnesota 108, Minnesota keeping it close.
5/12 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 100 a night and allowing 102, shooting 43 percent and 37 from three, 18 free throws a game; Butler III at 23 and Curry at 21 a game. Without Curry (2 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 100, shooting 43 percent and 30 from three, 25 free throws a game; Edwards at 27 and Randle at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Golden State at 37 percent from three to Minnesota's 30 and the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-4 a night and Golden State minus-3. Call it Minnesota 107, Golden State 106, Golden State keeping it close.
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
JB J. Butler III
JK J. Kuminga
KL K. Looney
MM M. Moody
SC S. Curry
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
Stephen Curry and Buddy Hield lead Warriors past Rockets 103-89 in Game 7
HOUSTON -- — Buddy Hield became an unlikely playoff hero for the Golden State Warriors , leading the team early in Game 7 against the Houston Rockets before Stephen Curry took over late.
Curry scored 14 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, Hield made nine 3-pointers and scored 33 points, and the Warriors advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with a 103-89 win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.
“We were lucky to get out of this series,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. "That was an incredibly impressive display of resolve.”
The Warriors will face the Timberwolves Tuesday night in Minnesota.
After not scoring in Game 6, Hield had a scorching first half with six 3-pointers and 22 points to carry the Warriors to a 12-point lead, with Curry scoring just three points before the break. Then Curry took over in the closing minutes and performed his signature “night night” gesture as the Warriors put the Rockets away.
“This was not just a lights-out shooting performance for Buddy,” Kerr said. “It was a two-way performance. I thought his defense was fantastic.”
The Warriors became the seventh No. 7 seed in NBA history to advance to the semifinals and eliminated Houston in the playoffs for a fifth time. They sent the James Harden -led Rockets packing four times between 2015 and 2019.
None of the players from those teams remain with Houston, leading Fred VanVleet to say before the series that “this ain't that team.”
Draymond Green , who helped beat the Rockets in Game 7 in 2018 to advance to the NBA Finals, mentioned VanVleet's quote before continuing.
“It’s that organization though,” he said. “We like coming to the city playing in these situations. It's been good to us.”
Hield was 9 of 11 from 3-point range, setting an NBA record for a Game 7 and making more 3s than the Rockets, who were 6 of 18 from long range.
“Just trying to seize the moment and relish the moment and just be in the moment at the same time,” Hield said. “Just trying to be myself. But tonight was fun.”
Curry added 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Amen Thompson scored 24 points to lead Houston, which forced Game 7 with two straight wins but couldn't put away the experienced Warriors.
“We had our chances in this series,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “We all expected to continue to be playing, so it’s a letdown. It’s going to sting now, but use it as motivation and let’s all come back better.”
Golden State led by eight entering the fourth and opened the quarter with a 5-0 run, capped by a 3 from Curry, to make it 75-62.
Houston scored the next six points, but the Warriors used a 7-2 spurt with four points from Curry to make it 82-70 with about seven minutes left.
Curry made a contested 3, rebounded a missed jumper by Thompson and found Hield for an open corner 3 that made it 94-74 with 2:31 remaining.
That sent many of the red-clad Rockets fans streaming for the exits.
Jimmy Butler added 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Warriors, who improved to 28-11 since his debut on Feb. 8 after a trade from Miami.
VanVleet scored a combined 55 points in the last two games to help Houston extend the series. But he was limited to 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting Sunday to send the second-seeded Rockets home early in their first trip to the playoffs since 2020.
He was far from the only Rocket who struggled. Big man Alperen Sengun had 21 points and 14 rebounds. But he missed several easy shots on a 9-of-23 night.
Jalen Green , who had 38 points to lead Houston to a Game 2 win, finished with eight points.
“First playoffs is no excuse,” he said. “I’ve got to be better.”
The Warriors played without key reserve Gary Payton II , who sat out with an illness that coach Steve Kerr said had him “sick as a dog.”
Draymond Green added 16 points for the Warriors, who had four starters score in double figures.