The No. 7 seed Golden State Warriors were able to hang on from a fierce second-half run by the No. 2 Houston Rockets to win 95-85 in Game 1 of their first-round matchup in front of 18,055 fans at the Toyota Center on Sunday night.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 31 points, but Jimmy Butler’s well-rounded efforts on offense and defense helped the team steal a game on the road in Houston. Butler finished with 25 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and five steals.
The Golden State Warriors had a turnover problem
While Butler was creating turnovers, Curry had a few giveaways that cost the Warriors when the Rockets made runs to bring the game within three points. Curry finished the night with four turnovers, and his miscommunication with Draymond Green caused another.
Draymond Green with a turnover off the inbound pass in the backcourt, after a miscommunication with Steph Curry. pic.twitter.com/NKf7ND13xR
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) April 21, 2025
Following the game, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr addressed the team’s turnover problem. He was heard seething during Golden State’s 11 turnovers on Sunday night.
“We’ve got to recognize that we don’t need to take chances in this series,” Kerr said via Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “We need to be clean with our execution in transition. We don’t need to dribble through traffic. We don’t need to throw lob passes to try to get a dunk. We’ve gotta be rock solid. If we’re rock solid, smart and tough, I think we’ll be in good shape…
“If it’s a half-court game, I really think our defense can get the job done in this series. So we can’t be turning it over. We can’t give up a million offensive boards.”
Steven Adams playing at the level on Steph Curry and forcing the mis-called turnover.
Stevo’s locked in. Need him back out there asap. The biggest difference-maker the Rockets have had tonight… pic.twitter.com/wRYGH4zAtc
— Steven Adams Stats (@funakistats) April 21, 2025
Jimmy Butler’s message on Steph Curry’s turnovers
Butler said he agreed with Kerr about turnovers being an issue, but also understands that it comes with the territory of Curry’s game. The same freedom given to Curry that allows him to make unique offensive plays leads to turnovers.
The Warriors hope Curry makes more good plays than bad.
“(Kerr) hates (the turnovers) as much as I hate it,” Butler said. “But sometimes good things come out of the organized chaos that one player in particular loves and thrives in. I love the organized chaos, I’m not going to lie. Because nobody knows what to expect. Not even myself. Not even Coach.
“The only person who knows what’s coming out of the organized chaos is the one creating it.”
Butler had one turnover himself on the night.
The Warriors will next play the Rockets on Wednesday night.
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