After signing Jimmy Butler, the Golden State Warriors were in a strong position in the standings, especially with some back-to-back wins. But there’s no denying that their initial struggles, especially in a few games, are still hurting them.
Now, their recent 96-106 loss to the Rockets has added even more pressure to their already tight race for playoff positioning in the Western Conference, even though they were on a five-game winning streak before that.
The Rockets, led by Dillon Brooks with 24 points and Alperen Sengun’s double-double of 19 points and 14 rebounds, showed off their strong defense. But what really hurt the Warriors was that neither Butler nor Curry scored as expected.
Houston’s strategy completely neutralized Curry, leaving him with just three points on 1-of-10 shooting, one of the lowest-scoring games of his career. Jimmy Butler also struggled, scoring only 13 points.
On a night where the Lakers win and Nuggets lose, the Warriors can’t overcome the Rockets, losing 106-96 at home.
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) April 7, 2025
Warriors are now tied with the Clippers, Timberwolves, and Grizzlies in the standings with four games to go.
Denver leads these four teams by a half-game.
This tough loss dropped the Warriors to a 46-32 record, putting them in a tricky spot in the Western Conference standings. With just four games left in the regular season, the Warriors are now battling teams like the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Memphis Grizzlies for playoff seeding.
These final games will decide if Golden State secures a direct playoff spot or has to face the uncertainty of the play-in tournament.
Warriors’ Stephen Curry reflects on fun banter with Ime Udoka
Stephen Curry had a tough game, scoring only 3 points. He was clearly frustrated and ended up having a back-and-forth with Rockets coach Ime Udoka. But it wasn’t serious, and Curry later made a funny comment about it during the interview.
Steph Curry on the Ime Udoka back-and-forth: “He made a reservation to International Smoke and canceled it. I was upset with him.” pic.twitter.com/Sy7D0rfJH3
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 7, 2025
During the Warriors’ post-press conference, he joked, “He made a reservation at International Smoke and canceled it. I was upset with him,” referring to his wife’s restaurant.
When Udoka was asked about his exchange with Curry after the game, he called it “a little friendly banter.”
