Category: Basketball

We asked for your views on as Glasgow Warriors suffered defeat and Edinburgh drew in their weekend of URC action.

Here's what some of you said:

Glasgow Warriors 19-26 Bulls

Ben: After Glasgow's trip to South Africa last year, I felt very deflated and went into the play-offs feeling hopeful more than anything. I probably feel a bit worse this year. The only reason to be hopeful is that our missing players come back strong, but we will likely need to go away to South Africa in a semi-final, then away to Leinster in a final - tough ask!

Alistair: Warriors didn't have a plan B to counter Bulls' impressive defence. Tactical field kicking was poor as it simply returned the advantage to Bulls. I wouldn't criticise Tom Jordan for kicking the penalty dead but I would for the decision not to take the three points. Three on the board would have kept them in the game and have had the ball returned to them. Warriors looked the fitter of the two teams but just need to make better on-field decisions. The return of Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu can't come soon enough.

Anthony: It looked like a game too far for the injury-depleted Warriors squad. They struggled to break the gain line against a ferocious Bulls defence. Bulls coaching staff deserve credit for getting their tactics spot on and not allowing Warriors to play their normal, expansive attacking game. Bulls also had Johan Goosen as a very good goal kicker, while Jordan had a night to forget. Full credit to Warriors to show the heart and desire to claim an important bonus point right at the end. Worrying injuries to Kyle Rowe and Gregor Brown, but is was good to see Scott Cummings back on the field. This match was a brilliant learning curve for many of the younger squad members against a very good, physical Bulls team. Warriors have earned their two-week break before the Benetton match, which is a must win.

Bert: The Bulls scrum dominance was a major issue for Warriors. No matter how good your backs are they are going to struggle behind that weakness. While Warriors' penalty dogma of always going to the corner can be seen as positive, it surely has to be flexible for games like this where it was all about the win. The risks were fully evident when Jordan's second-half kick flew dead, scrum penalty again, and try scored from the lineout to effectively cost us nine points.

Zebre 25-25 Edinburgh

Steve: To put some perspective on Edinburgh's fairly abject draw with Zebre, there was one very depleted looking 23 versus a pretty well-stacked Italian outfit. Zebre are a different team this year but the feeling is that's another four or five points gone abegging. I have to question the nature of the squad rotation and perhaps it's a case that Europe is indeed being prioritised. We'll have to be very, very good to beat Bath, so I hope it's worth it. It has to be because the URC is effectively over unless three or four teams all do us a massive favour. Another frustrating season so far, but in our hearts we knew it was going to be.

Domenic: Edinburgh are a basket case. Inconsistent and at times appalling to watch. Quite simply successful teams beat those below them, unsuccessful ones don't. So, when do the SRU say enough is enough and clear out the hierarchy of Edinburgh Rugby from chief executive to coaching team? A £6m budget for this? Too many years of failing to reach potential, in any other walk of life you'd be shown the door.

Report: Warriors have ‘belief' Butler will return for Game 4 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Despite star forward Jimmy Butler missing Game 3 due to a left pelvic contusion, the Warriors still found a way to grab a pivotal 104-93 win on Saturday night and take a 2-1 series lead over the Houston Rockets.

Now, Golden State believes that their marquee midseason addition will return to action in Monday’s Game 4, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater reported after Saturday’s game.

Jimmy Butler worked out on the practice court pregame, per source. Medical team held him out to give body two more days to heal, but there’s a belief he will be back for Game 4 on Monday night with the Warriors searching for 3-1 series lead over the Rockets.

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 27, 2025

Butler suffered his injury in the first quarter of the Warriors’ Game 2 loss to the Rockets on Wednesday night. He initially was listed as questionable for Game 3 after two off days to rest, but Butler eventually was ruled out around an hour before tip-off.

The six-time NBA All-Star sustained “significant swelling” and had limited mobility, according to a report by ESPN’s Shams Charania, so an extra 48 hours of rest could be the difference in Butler’s recovery.

“Playoff Jimmy” tallied an impressive statline of 25 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals in the Warriors’ Game 1 win, so Butler’s return would be welcomed amid a tense, hard-fought series.

Tip-off for Game 4 is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday night at Chase Center, with “Warriors Pregame Live” airing from Thrive City starting at 6 p.m on NBC Sports Bay Area.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

How bottling up Rockets' Green was difference in Warriors' Game 3 win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Steph Curry’s longevity is on full display in the Warriors’ first-round NBA playoff series against the Rockets, as two of Houston’s top players were elite high school prospects at his own camp. 

Jalen Green showed out in the summer of 2018 before his one season at Prolific Prep, the basketball academy in Napa. The same ridiculous athleticism Amen Thompson plays with today in the NBA was seen at Curry’s camp in 2022. 

Thompson was talked up as the next ‘Steph Stopper’ entering the playoffs after how he helped blanket Curry in a regular-season game just two weeks before the postseason began. Curry had three points in that Warriors loss and went 1-of-10 shooting, just to drop 31 on 12-of-19 shooting with five 3-pointers in Game 1. Myth debunked, again. 

When Curry broke down the Warriors’ Game 2 loss Wednesday in Houston, nothing brought out his frustration more at the podium than looking down at the box score and bringing up Green’s game. A game where Green punished Golden State with 38 points, and eight big ones in the fourth quarter. 

“We just let Jalen get going a little bit, and he got free to space,” Curry said. “There’s no reason he should get up 18 threes. We gotta figure out a way to control where he is on the floor. Those are all momentum threes that kind of kept the separation. … We let him get loose.”

They didn’t Saturday night in the Warriors’ 104-93 Game 3 win, when Green scored just nine points. Curry said the Warriors had to control where Green is on the court. Message received. He was kept in check, and that usually tells the story for the Rockets. 

There were a lot of known factors going into this series of what could determine the outcome. Curry always could flip a game on his own with his scoring outbursts, and how those around him shoot is ever important knowing how the Rockets guard him. The Warriors knew they needed to take care of the ball against the Rockets’ defense, and they only had 10 turnovers in Game 3, which led to 11 points for Houston. The Rockets outrebounded them again — but not by a wide margin — and the Warriors won the hustle and transition stats.

How they went after Green also made all the difference for Golden State. 

He isn’t Curry or Butler, but he can swing the pendulum of how this series can go nearly as much in his own regard. 

“They did what they did, went after Jalen quite a bit and everybody was making him pay from there,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. 

A handful of Warriors held Green to nine points on 4-of-11 shooting, one game after he shot 13 of 25 overall. Green made eight of his 18 3-point attempts in Game 2, but took just five in Game 3 and made one. That’s how it has gone for him throughout the season, and especially against the Warriors. 

His first shot of the night was a three from the top of the arc that was blocked by Draymond Green, leading to a Jonathan Kuminga dunk. The Warriors bottled his athleticism and didn’t let him get downhill consistently. He wasn’t able to create separation, taking away his outside shot essentially all night long. 

Green’s four made shots came from two layups, one dunk and one three at the end of the first quarter. No fourth-quarter explosion, no heater at any point. 

“We just played with more force,” Draymond said. “He kind of roamed free in Houston the other day. So we just made sure to play with more force. Not just with Jalen, though, with everybody. Just made sure they felt us a little more on the defensive end.”

In the Rockets’ 52 wins this season, Green was one of the better young players in the NBA, averaging 22.5 points on 44.6-percent shooting with a 37.1 3-point percentage. Green in those games had a 57.2 true shooting percentage, 114 offensive rating, 108 defensive rating and an average plus/minus of plus-12.7. But those numbers took a significant dip in losses. 

In the 30 games the No. 2-seeded Rockets lost, Green averaged 18.4 points on 38.1-percent shooting with a 32.3 3-point percentage. When the Rockets lost, he had a 49.2 true shooting percentage, 103 offensive rating, 122 defensive rating and his average plus/minus was a minus-14.8. 

The Warriors and Rockets played each other five times in the regular season, with the Warriors taking three of those games. Green in the Rockets’ two wins averaged 16.5 points, and only 10 in their three losses. The Rockets needed 38 points and eight threes from him to win Game 2, and Green has averaged 9.0 points on 26.9-percent shooting in the two games the Warriors have won. 

It’s no secret how much the Rockets lack half-court scoring. NBA All-Star center Alperen Şengün, who was limited to 15 points and 11 rebounds Saturday, is going to put up numbers off his size and skills combination. Green is the one outside threat who really can get the Rockets ready for liftoff. 

When Green’s stuck on the launching pad, the Warriors know the Rockets’ offense is a shell of itself, and they’ll keep throwing everything at him to keep swinging the pendulum in their favor.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

The goal for the Clippers was to not give the Denver Nuggets any hope in Game 4 and in the process take complete control of the seven-game playoff series.

For any of this to happen, both teams had to maintain their composure, which both sides lost late in the second quarter, resulting in technical fouls being called on six players but no ejections.

The Clippers found a calmness amidst it all, even when they got down 22 points in the fourth quarter, keeping their emotions in check until Aaron Gordon dunked in a missed three-pointer by Nikola Jokic as time expired to give the Nuggets a thrilling 101-99 win.

The best-of-seven series is tied 2-2.

Game 5 is Tuesday night in Denver.

The Clippers went on a 32-9 run to take a 97-96 lead after Bogdan Bogdanovic got an offensive rebound and scored.

But Jokic (36 points, 21 rebounds, eight assists) made a free throw to tie the score with 58.6 seconds left. After Kawhi Leonard (24 points) missed a shot, Jokic scored to give the Nuggets a 99-97 lead.

James Harden (15 points, 11 assists) missed on a drive, but Ivica Zubac (19 points, 12 rebounds) tipped the ball in to tie the score at 99-99 with 8.0 seconds left.

Jokic shot a three-pointer that missed, but Gordon (14 points) dunked it for a game Denver thought it had won.

But the officials had to review the play, eventually deciding that the basket was good.

The ruckus began after Christian Braun fouled Harden with 6.6 seconds left in the second quarter, causing a lot of pushing and shoving.

Harden took exception with the foul and pushed Braun, then Jokic came over and pushed Harden followed by Gordon pushing Harden, who then pushed the Nuggets' forward back. Zubac grabbed and pulled Gordon away. But Norman Powell ran over and pushed Gordon and Braun, and Kris Dunn then ran in and pushed Gordon.

The officials finally got things settled down and issued technical fouls on Harden, Powell and Dunn as well as Gordon, Braun and Jokic.

And then when both teams came out to start the second half, both having been given a chance to calm down in their locker rooms and resume playing a tense basketball game, the Nuggets were the aggressors and the Clippers were not.

The Clippers fell behind 85-65 at the end of the third quarter, their offense struggling and their defense unable to control the Nuggets in the early going of the second half.

Denver scored 35 points in the third quarter by shooting 56% from the field and 50% (five for 10) from three-point range.

Meanwhile, the Clippers scored just 17 points in the third quarter, shooting 27.8% from the field.

Before the game, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue talked about his team’s approach to the game.

“We got to be locked in to start defensively,” he said. “They’ve come out really aggressive, really scoring the basketball in that first quarter. So we just got to come out with a defensive mindset to start the game and not give them any life to start the game because they are a really good team. Their starting five is amazing and like I said, they won a championship two years ago so we got to be locked in.”

The Clippers were mostly locked into the game at the outset, their defense forcing the Nuggets into two 24-second violations in the first quarter and that allowed L.A. to trim a Denver lead from nine to two points.

But the Clippers ended the first with a turnover when Harden’s long pass to Zubac sailed out of bounds with 1.9 seconds remaining.

That left the door open for the Nuggets, and they stepped into it when Jokic drilled a 28-foot three-pointer as the buzzer sounded to end the first half that put the Clippers down five points.

The Nuggets were without reserve guard Russell Westbrook (left foot).

Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Oklahoma City Thunder became the first side to advance from the first round of the NBA play-offs as they completed a 4-0 sweep over the Memphis Grizzlies in their best-of-seven series.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander starred again, scoring a play-off career-high 38 points in a 117-115 victory to help send the Thunder into the Western Conference play-off semi-finals.

Gilgeous-Alexander averaged more than 32 points per game in the regular season, in which the Thunder won 68 games.

Jalen Williams added 23 points as the Thunder led for almost the entire second half, despite Scotty Pippen Jr equalling his career-high score with 30 points for the Grizzlies, who were missing injured star guard Ja Morant.

The top seeds in the West will next face the Denver Nuggets or the Los Angeles Clippers.

Earlier, Eastern Conference top seeds the Cleveland Cavaliers demolished the Miami Heat to take a 3-0 lead in their series.

The Heat's 124-87 defeat was their worst play-off loss in franchise history.

Jarrett Allen scored 22 points and D'Andre Hunter added 21 as six Cavs players reached double figures.

Game four takes place on Monday.

Behind ‘Batman' Steph, Warriors prevail without his ‘Robin' in Game 3 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – With Jimmy Butler III relegated to a well-padded seat on the bench, the Warriors on Saturday were forced to revisit the limitations of their offense. Their hopes rested on the improvisational brilliance of Stephen Curry and a prayer.

Curry accomplished his mission, Gary Payton II answered the prayer, and the Warriors closed out a 104-93 win over the Houston Rockets to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.

The Warriors are not exactly in command, not yet, but winning without Butler makes a statement to themselves and to the Rockets – one that was personally delivered by Curry: We want to win with Jimmy, but we’re capable of winning without him.

Curry finished with a game-high 36 points, 21 of which came in the second half when the Warriors outscored the Rockets 58-44. He also added seven assists and three rebounds after intermission.

All against a defense designed to send waves of punishment.

“This is what superstars do in playoff games,” coach Steve Kerr said. “You can’t win games without the great players in the league. When you go deep, the playoffs get tougher and tougher. The great players just give the whole team confidence, and that’s what Steph does.”

The Warriors trailed most of the first half, falling behind by as much as 13 points. The defense was keeping them within range, but the offense was being stifled. A 9-0 finish to the half allowed them to go into the locker room trailing by only three (49-46).

“There was just a moment in the second quarter where I had to kind of get a little bit more assertive and not let the double teams and the traps take me out of possessions,” Curry said. “I only had four shots in the first quarter, and usually that can work to our advantage if we are moving the ball and guys are getting open looks.

“But it didn’t seem like there was a lot of flow, so I kind of did kind of force the issue a little bit in the second quarter and got going. Thankfully hit some shots.”

Curry’s presence always gives the Warriors hope, but his third-quarter flurry, 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 2 of 3 from deep, gave them – and the vociferous sellout crowd at Chase Center – a strong sense of belief.

There was, according to longtime teammate Draymond Green, an inspirational element to what Curry was doing.

“We all follow him just with that type of tenacity,” Green said. “You’re not going to be the guy to let him down when he’s playing like that. I think anybody wants to be that guy where he’s coming out, he’s given that type of effort. Oftentimes I try to bring that energy, and I didn’t have it. He found it, and then I followed him, and we all followed him.

“I thought it was beautiful, you know, he realized that it wasn’t there, and he took it upon himself to, you know, bring that type of force to the game, and we all fell in line and followed.”

Houston took its last lead, 84-83, on a Dillon Brooks 3-ball with 5:47 remaining. Curry fed Payton for a layup 20 seconds later, followed by two more Curry dimes to Payton in the next 58 seconds. That spurred a 20-9 closing run.

Curry’s 36 points came on 12-of-23 shooting from the field, including 5 of 13 from beyond the arc. He added a team-high nine assists and seven rebounds to finish plus-18 over 41 minutes.

“He’s Steph Curry,” Kerr said. “He’s one much greatest players of all time. He’s 37. He’s one of the most well-conditioned athletes I’ve ever seen in my life.

“To play 41 minutes against that kind of defense, to have a slow start and then find his rhythm, which we have seen him do countless times over the years, to hit big shots, to only turn it over twice against that kind of pressure, he was brilliant.”

With Curry leading the way, the second half was the first time this series when Golden State’s offense looked as designed, with testimony coming from 16 assists. The Warriors through the first 10 quarters averaged five assists per against Houston’s overtly physical defense.

And now they will try to assert themselves and take a 3-1 series lead in Game 4 on Monday night at Chase. The hope is that Butler will be able to play.

“Hopefully he’s back next game,” Curry said. “Or if he’s not, we can still play at a high level and we can win a tough physical playoff game.  I think we all know, we’re trying to win 14 more of these. We need Jimmy to do that.

“But if there’s a situation where somebody is not available, next-man-up mentality, it’s got to be a belief and a confidence. Two months ago, I don’t know if we had that.”

The Warriors have it now. They backed it up by winning a game that, on paper, seemed ominous.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Hield steps up in Butler's absence to help Warriors beat Rockets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – With Jimmy Butler unavailable to play Saturday and sitting courtside wearing a thick brown coat, the Warriors were desperate to find someone to step up and help fill the void.

Buddy Hield answered the call with his most productive game in nearly three weeks.

The veteran sharp-shooter came off the bench and scored 17 points, three shy of his career postseason best, to go with a game-high three steals and two assists in the Warriors’ 104-93 Game 3 win over the Houston Rockets at Chase Center.

“Robin was out tonight, so I had to step up,” Hield said, referencing the Batman-Robin duo of Stephen Curry and Butler. “I know Jimmy is out and I know what’s at stake. Just taking it possession by possession, learning.

“You’ve got to enjoy the moment and seize the moment. You can’t be shy when the opportunity comes. You have to be out there and be fiery and be free.”

Hield is anything but shy, especially on the court.

Heading into Saturday’s game he was second on the Warriors for made 3-pointers behind – surprise – Curry.

Hield is 16^th on the NBA’s all-time list, although his numbers have rocketed in recent seasons. Over the past six years, Hield has made the second-most 3-pointers (1,254) in the NBA behind Curry (1,563).

Against the Rockets, Hield made 5 of 11 3-point tries and shot 6 of 13 overall.

Buddy hits his third triple of the first half 👌pic.twitter.com/qa0XS2yWWv

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 27, 2025

When the Warriors fell behind by double digits midway through the second quarter, Hield got Golden State back in the game with a pair of threes and a driving layup that helped cut Houston’s lead to 49-46 at the break.

Steph gets the stop and finds Buddy 🙌pic.twitter.com/hXBskHlK3O

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 27, 2025

Because Butler was resting after suffering a hard fall earlier in the series, Houston spent much of the night blitzing their defense toward Curry. That left open spacing for the other Warriors players, and Hield made the Rockets pay.

“If they are going to send a trap or double-team or blitz a pick-and-roll, if I get off it [and] if we are spaced properly, Buddy is a guy that demands attention,” Curry explained. “If he has that little bit of daylight, he’s got to be able to take those and knock them down.”

The Warriors signed Hield in the offseason in essence to help make up for the loss of Klay Thompson after the one-time Splash Brother was traded to the Dallas Mavericks this past offseason.

Replacing one of the most popular players in franchise history is no easy task for any player, especially when the player being replaced is as beloved in the Bay as Thompson was.

Hield’s first season with Golden State started off optimistically. When he ran into a midseason shooting slump, some fans wondered whether the Warriors made a mistake by obtaining Hield as part of the multi-team sign-and-trade that landed Thompson with the Mavericks.

More games like Saturday’s are surely to alter a few of those pessimistic opinions.

“He’s a guy who is one of the best shooters in the league,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s always capable of making shots. Because of the constant blitzing of Steph, it opened up the floor and we finally figured it out, how to space the floor and get the ball in that blitz. [Hield] got some good looks and made some big shots.”

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Jimmy Butler epically trolls Buddy Hield on Instagram after Warriors' Game 3 win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Jimmy Butler never misses a chance to take a shot at Warriors teammate Buddy Hield.

Shortly after Steph Curry carried the Butler-less Warriors to an incredible 104-93 Game 3 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night at Chase Center, the injured Warriors forward took to Instagram to celebrate the victory.

Butler posted a video of the bat signal with Curry’s logo in it, but the caption was even better.

“thanks batman and team. excluding buddy.”

Jimmy’s IG post after tonight’s win 😂

(Wait for the caption 👀)

[via @jimmybutler/IG] pic.twitter.com/ULn3Abx963

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 27, 2025

While Butler missed the game as he recovers from a left pelvic contusion, Hield finished with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field and was a plus-14 in 29 minutes.

But Hield did the thing Butler hates the most — dribble — and that got the 32-year-old in trouble on several occasions Saturday night.

Hield was credited with two turnovers, but it felt like more. At one point, Butler was coaching up Hield about his dribbling.

"keep dribbling. i'm not inviting you to slap bones again" pic.twitter.com/Kqa1gRp54b

— chano (@chanodesigns) April 27, 2025

Hield was asked about Butler’s coaching, and the playful shots continued.

“Terrible, terrible advice,” Hield told reporters. “Terrible advice. I was just tuning him out the whole time. Nah, he’s been good. He’s been positive. He’s telling me how to read drives, except that one time I got picked by Steven Adams, he’s giving me a look and I’m just like ‘Yo, don’t even talk about it.’ But he’s been good, just talking and just encouraging everybody.

“Especially when Draymond got a tech, he was letting everybody know that was good for our team. That’ll get us going. That was big. It changed the game for us.”

Butler and Hield have traded banter with each other ever since the former arrived via a blockbuster trade in early February.

And as long as the Warriors keep winning, the good times will keep rolling between Butler and Hield.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

What Butler told Hield during motivational pep talk in Warriors' win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The ongoing friendly feud between Buddy Hield and Jimmy Butler has become an endlessly entertaining side plot to the Warriors’ 2024-25 NBA season.

Though Butler did not play in the Warriors’ Game 3 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday, that didn’t stop him from coaching up Hield from the Golden State bench.

Rockets center Steven Adams swiped the ball from Hield in the fourth quarter, leading to a fastbreak and drawn foul on the other end for the veteran big man — who isn’t known for his ability to defend in space.

Steven Adams CLAMPING in the 4th!

📺 HOU-GSW Game 3 on ABC pic.twitter.com/Tr0oz9HULk

— NBA (@NBA) April 27, 2025

This provided a perfect opportunity for Butler — whose disdain for Hield’s dribbling already is well-known — to rib and mentor his teammate simultaneously.

“He was talking about me getting my ball picked from Steven Adams,” Hield told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke after the game. “He was telling me, ‘Just go by him.’

“Me and him are always getting into it, though. He’s my big brother, so he’s good.”

During his postgame press conference, Hield added that Butler simply gave him a look, with the sharpshooter replying that he didn’t want to talk about it.

Of course, Hield immediately took the opportunity to tease his frenemy back when asked about Butler’s bench presence when he’s not playing.

“Terrible, terrible, terrible advice. I just was, like, tuning him out the whole time,” Hield joked, before offering a rare genuine compliment to Butler. “Nah, he’s being good. He’s being positive. He’s telling me how to read drives.”

Buddy and Jimmy are perfect frenemies 🤣 pic.twitter.com/xBhJXYyuqI

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 27, 2025

Saturday’s back-and-forth didn’t stop there, either (check out the caption).

With Butler expected to return to action for Game 4, expect even more hilarious — and perhaps constructive — interactions between these squabbling allies.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

GP2 serves as Warriors' varnish in shining Game 3 performance originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Gary Payton II’s father earned the nickname “The Glove” for the way he played defense throughout his Hall of Fame NBA career.

The younger Payton is deserving of his own unique nickname as well: Varnish. That’s because on a nightly basis Payton is all over the court, diving for loose balls, intercepting passes and making key plays at key times.

That was the case in Game 3 of the Warriors’ first-round NBA playoff matchup with the Houston Rockets.

Already recognized as one of the top two defenders on Golden State’s roster, Payton II turned the tables and became an offensive force during clutch time when he helped the Jimmy Butler-less Warriors pull out a 104-93 win on Saturday at Chase Center that gave the Warriors a 2-1 series lead.

“It’s huge,” Draymond Green said. “We know G is an incredible defender, but when he’s playing that way offensively, getting to the hole, finishing — he’s a great finisher around the basket — knocking his threes down … if you’re getting that type of two-way basketball from G, it really lifts this team and is just another threat that [opponents] have to deal with.”

When the Warriors got off to a somewhat sluggish start in the first half, Payton took only one shot while trying to focus primarily on defense.

That focus changed slightly in the second half, specifically the fourth quarter when Payton did the bulk of Golden State’s scoring. He scored 13 of the team’s 35 points in the final period and repeatedly made clutch plays on both ends of the floor.

Payton opened the fourth quarter with a reverse layup, then picked up a charging foul when he lowered his shoulder and ran through Rockets forward Dillon Brooks. Less than 30 seconds later, Payton knocked down an open corner 3-pointer.

GP2 gets the acrobatic layup to go 😮‍💨pic.twitter.com/U22lIXb7c1

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 27, 2025

Later in the quarter when Stephen Curry missed a step-back 3-pointer, Payton chased down the rebound and got fouled by Brooks, the sixth of the night for the Rockets villain.

For the icing on the cake, Payton raced to the rack backdoor for a reverse dunk that was the exclamation point on the win.

GP2 WITH THE DAGGER DUNK 💥pic.twitter.com/QwmBFx6pVb

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 27, 2025

“We’ve seen this. We’ve seen what Gary is capable of doing at the highest level,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, referring to the impact Payton made during the Warriors’ run to the 2022 NBA championship. “He knew he didn’t have a great trip in Houston, didn’t play particularly well in either game.

“He was kind of due. He just made massive plays in the fourth quarter and helped us close the game.”

Basically, Payton shined like varnish.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Draymond Green, Jalen Green trade barbs over incident after Warriors' Game 3 win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors’ first-round NBA playoff series against the Houston Rockets is as contentious as everyone predicted.

And the war of words carried over past the final buzzer in the Warriors’ 104-93 Game 3 win over the Rockets when Draymond Green and Jalen Green had to be separated as the teams left the court.

Did Draymond Green make a painting finger nails gesture at Jalen Green 💀 pic.twitter.com/DEzUMYwAty

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) April 27, 2025

The Warriors forward brushed off the incident when asked about it by NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson after the game.

“Yeah, the game was over,” Draymond said. “Don’t matter.”

But the Rockets guard wasn’t as diplomatic, taking a direct shot at Draymond.

“Just talking,” Jalen told reporters after the game. “Steph [Curry] had a good game. The reason they won. Just talking. [Draymond] can’t really do much of anything else, so talking is his only way.”

Jalen Green on what was going on with him and Draymond Green arguing after the game:

"Just talking. He can't really do much of anything else, so talking is his only way." pic.twitter.com/mLExzRMShy

— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) April 27, 2025

Draymond wouldn’t confirm if he told Jalen to go paint his nails, as the video alludes to, and he wasn’t sure why the young Houston guard was so upset.

“I’m not sure what he took [umbrage] to,” Draymond told reporters. “But it was a good win for us.”

The Warriors and Rockets are teetering close to an explosion, and tensions will continue to rise as the series progresses.

Golden State and Houston players don’t like each other, so expect more fireworks over the next few games.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast