Rockets’ Grounded Backcourt Must Take Flight

Sunday night in Houston, Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, two premier high stakes performers, led the Golden State Warriors in a 95-85 Game 1 victory over the Rockets. 

Curry scored 31 points on 12 made field-goals and five made 3-pointers. Butler played a game befitting of the jack-of-all-trades that he is - 25 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals. 10 makes in 19 attempts. 

The Rockets outrebounded the Warriors 52-36, but made just 34 of 87 attempts while the Warriors connected on 36 of 76. Second chance opportunities were plentiful for the home team, but their inability to make them count was a deciding factor. 

Curry is dangerous for obvious reasons - the greatest shooter ever that can get his shot off and hit at the most difficult of angles. Butler was acquired for the very output that he gave on Sunday. The Rockets need to do something to counter that. And a lot of it falls to their backcourt. 

Fred VanVleet shot the ball 19 times and only made four, while he shot 13 times from 3-point range and connected on two. Jalen Green shot the ball 15 times (31 minutes to VanVleet’s 40) and made three shots, while missing all four of his attempts from beyond. 

VanVleet in the regular season averaged 14.1 points on 37.8% shooting. Green averaged 21.0 on 42.3%. Green’s 42.3% is the same percentage he shot in 2023-24. He is 26-for-88 in six games vs. the Warriors this season, a paltry 29.5%. VanVleet is 15-for-68 in his games vs. the Warriors this season for 22%, making Green’s percentage look astronomical. 

The Warriors have Butler and Gary Payton Jr. on the wings, two pests on defense that can dig in.

Green is playing in his first playoff series. At 6’4 and close to 190 pounds, he does not have prototypical two-guard size, but he is a spectacular athlete. Playing against the likes of Podziemski and Moses Moody, he needs to be better. He was missing on Sunday on routine jump shots.

VanVleet has been here before, winning a title with the 2019 Toronto Raptors. VanVleet’s issue is he is streaky. His lofting, high arching trifectas either splash or dash. 

Up against Curry, a shooter like Buddy Hield, a guy in Brandin Podziemski who makes 37.2% of his threes, and a playoff performer like Butler, the Rockets need their guards to perform. The team excelled in transition on Sunday night which enabled their comeback, and out-rebounded the Warriors (the Rockets are the best rebounding team in the league). But on Sunday they were beaten at their own game - a low scoring, drag out affair. Going forward in this series that cannot be the case. 

And it starts with VanVleet and Green.