HOUSTON — In Wednesday’s Game 2 at Toyota Center, the Rockets evened their first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors with a 109-91 home victory (box score).
Golden State had won Sunday’s Game 1, and Jalen Green’s subpar night (7 points on 20% shooting) in his first career NBA playoff game was one of the biggest reasons why Houston scored only 85 points.
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But in the Game 2 rematch, Green scored a game-high 38 points while connecting on 13-of-25 shots (52.0%), 8-of-18 from 3-point range (44.4%), and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line (80.0%).
The stakes were significant. By winning, the second-seeded Rockets have effective madely it a best-of-five series heading into Saturday’s Game 3 from San Francisco’s Chase Center.
Had Houston lost, Golden State could take a 2-0 series lead while also having its next two games at home. In that scenario, the Rockets would need at least one road victory in Game 3 or Game 4 simply to avoid elimination, and they would need to take both in order to regain home-court advantage before a potential Game 5 back in Houston.
Thus, Game 2 was an extremely important game to the Rockets, and they clearly played with a greater intensity and purpose on both ends of the court. Steph Curry kept the Warriors somewhat competitive by shooting at an elite level from 3-point range, but co-star Jimmy Butler left the game in the first half with a pelvis contusion and did not return.
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Read on for highlights, statistics, interviews, and real-time updates. As far as future games in the series, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr will update Butler’s status postgame, so stay tuned!
Final Score: Rockets 109, Warriors 91
More to come. The series is tied.
Rockets 99, Warriors 80 (5:23 in Fourth Quarter)
Jalen Green (38 points, 6 assists) picked up a flagrant foul on a chippy sequence involving Draymond Green, and the crowd at Toyota Center is livid.
Ime Udoka has made it clear that he wants Houston to play through any officiating gripes, and the Rockets have largely done that.
Rockets 91, Warriors 76 (8:35 in Fourth Quarter)
Despite being limited by foul trouble, Dillon Brooks is making his presence felt with 13 points in 18 minutes on 46% shooting. He’s also providing his physical presence on defense yet again, with Golden State likely to finish below 100 points for a second straight game.
Start of Fourth Quarter: Rockets 84, Warriors 68
Houston is 12 minutes away from tying its first-round series with Golden State at a game apiece.
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Alperen Sengun has a double-double with 15 points and 12 points through three quarters of Game 2, while Jalen Green is the high scorer with 30 points. Green has put up those points on strong efficiency, as well, having connected on 10-of-21 from the field (47.6%), 6-of-15 from 3-point range (40.0%), and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
Steph Curry has 19 points and 8 assists to lead the Warriors, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range (50.0%). Golden State has shot almost 44% from deep as a team, which has kept them competitive.
Rockets 79, Warriors 64 (2:59 in Third Quarter)
In his second career playoff game, Jalen Green has 25 points on solid efficiency as the Rockets continue to hold a fairly substantial lead.
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Warriors veteran Draymond Green is not making many friends at Toyota Center.
Rockets 67, Warriors 51 (7:57 in Third Quarter)
Jalen Green had just 7 points in Game 1 while making 3-of-15 shots (20.0%). He’s scored a game-high 20 points in only 22 minutes in Game 2 as Houston continues to hold Golden State at arm’s length. Green has connected on 6-of-14 shots (42.9%), 4-of-11 from 3-point range (36.4%), and he’s made all four of his free-throw attempts. Green is also tied for Houston’s assist lead (4).
Halftime: Rockets 60, Warriors 46
In their Game 1 loss, the Rockets made just six 3-pointers in the entire game. In Game 2, they made seven in the first half alone, and they’re shooting almost 37% from deep after hovering near 20% on Sunday.
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“Make shots,” head coach Ime Udoka said pregame of what the Rockets needed to two differently in Wednesday’s Game 2.
To say the least, they have, and it’s made an impact. The Warriors scored 47 points in the first half of Game 1 and held a 13-point lead, largely because Houston wasn’t making its shots.
Three nights later, the Warriors had an almost identical total of 46 points, yet they trail by 14 because the Rockets erupted with 60 of their own.
The Rockets have led by as many as 20 points, and they have maintained their usual advantages in rebounding (25-14) and paint points (24-14). But in contrast to Game 1, they’re making both 3-pointers and free throws. After shooting roughly 55% from the stripe in that Game 1 loss, Houston is 13-of-15 in Wednesday’s first half (86.7%).
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Leading individual statistics, at the half, include:
Jalen Green: Game-high 15 points, 4 rebounds; 4-of-10 shooting (40.0%), 3-of-8 on 3-pointers (37.5%), 4-of-4 on free throws
Alperen Sengun: 13 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists
Tari Eason: 12 points, 6 rebounds; 5-o-6 shooting (83.3%)
Starting forwards Dillon Brooks and Amen Thompson (3 fouls each) were limited to less than 15 combined minutes of play, which led to Eason’s additional usage.
Steph Curry leads the Warriors with 11 points and 5 assists, having made 4-of-8 shots (50.0%) and 3-of-5 from 3-point range (60.0%). However, co-star Jimmy Butler played only 8 minutes (scoring 3 points) before leaving with a pelvis contusion. The Warriors announced that he will not return to Game 2, and head coach Steve Kerr could offer additional information postgame regarding the outlook for future games.
Rockets 48, Warriors 35 (2:53 to Halftime)
After shooting above 60% in Game 1, Alperen Sengun hasn’t shot as well in Game 2, making just 3-of-11 shots (27.3%). Yet, he’s still stuffing the stat sheet with 7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, and the Rockets are +12 in his 17 minutes. That’s the best of any Game 2 player.
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Pat Spencer has provided spark off Golden State’s bench with 9 points in 9 minutes, and he’s made 4-of-6 shots (66.7%). Spencer now leads the Warriors in Game 2 scoring.
Jimmy Butler Ruled Out for Rest of Game 2
After his earlier fall, Jimmy Butler will not return to Game 2 due to a pelvis contusion, the Warriors announced. Houston leads, 42-27, with 5:53 left until halftime.
Rockets 34, Warriors 20 (9:18 in Second Quarter)
The Rockets have their biggest lead of the series, and Warriors star Jimmy Butler is back in Golden State’s locker room area after taking a hard fall and landing on his tailbone.
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With both Dillon Brooks and Amen Thompson in foul trouble (3 fouls each), reserve forward Tari Eason has stepped up off Houston’s bench with 9 points and 4 rebounds in 8 minutes, making him the game’s high scorer.
After First Quarter: Rockets 28, Warriors 18
Jalen Green has played all 12 minutes and leads the Rockets in both points (7) and assists (4). The Warriors have shot just 6-of-19 overall (31.6%) and 3-of-11 from 3-point range (27.3%), and Houston’s swarming defense has limited Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler to just six combined shot attempts.
Unfortunately for Houston, Amen Thompson picked up a third foul and could be glued to the bench for some time. Veteran guard Aaron Holiday replaced Thompson and made his first series appearance.
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On the other side, Warriors coach Steve Kerr is turning to athletic fourth-year forward Jonathan Kuminga for the first time this series. Kuminga had strong numbers against the Rockets in the 2024-25 regular season but largely fell out of Golden State’s playing rotation in recent games.
Rockets Lead Early, but Amen Thompson in Foul Trouble
The Rockets are playing physically and have a 13-7 lead at the first timeout, with 6:41 left to play in the opening quarter. However, high scorer Amen Thompson (6 points) — who happens to be Houston’s most versatile and valuable defender — just picked up his second foul.
Jalen Green has 3 points and a game-high 3 assists.
Game 2 Starting Lineups
Rockets:
Fred VanVleet, No. 5, guard
Jalen Green, No. 4, guard
Dillon Brooks, No. 9, forward
Amen Thompson, No. 1, forward
Alperen Sengun, No. 28, center
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Warriors:
Steph Curry, No. 30, guard
Brandin Podziemski, No. 2, guard
Moses Moody, No. 4, forward
Jimmy Butler, No. 10, forward
Draymond Green, No. 23, center
Game and Broadcast Information
Date: Wednesday, April 23
Location: Toyota Center, Houston
Channels: Space City Home Network, TNT
Player Absences
Rockets:
Jae’Sean Tate, right ankle impingement
Jack Landale, right knee contusion
Warriors:
Pregame Interviews on Gameday
Regular-Season Rankings
Records and statistics (relative to the 30 NBA teams) during 2024-25:
Houston (52-30): No. 7 net rating (4.6), No. 12 offensive rating (114.9), No. 5 defensive rating (110.3)
Golden State (48-34): No. 10 net rating (3.2), No. 16 offensive rating (114.2), No. 7 defensive rating (111.0)
Remaining Series Schedule for Rockets-Warriors
All times are p.m. and Central.
Game 3: at Golden State (Saturday, April 26, 7:30 on ABC)
Game 4: at Golden State (Monday, April 28, 9:00 on TNT)
Game 5, if necessary: at Houston (Wednesday, April 30, 6:30 on TNT)
Game 6, if necessary: at Golden State (Friday, May 2, TBD)
Game 7, if necessary: at Houston (Sunday, May 4, TBD)
All games not televised on ABC will also be televised via a regional Space City Home Network broadcast featuring Houston’s own broadcast team.
More: Space City Home Network to offer local playoff broadcasts for Rockets-Warriors series
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Game 2 updates: Jalen Green erupts as Rockets tie series with Warriors
