

The Golden State Warriors dealt a near-fatal blow to the Houston Rockets with a 109-106 victory in Game 4 of the series to take a 3-1 lead.
Jimmy Butler, who returned after missing only the third game due to a heavy fall in the second, led the Warriors in this vibrant duel, being absolutely key in the final moments.
Steph Curry was seen visibly uncomfortable while Jimmy Butler was berating Buddy Hield
Butler scored 27 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out six assists. He was also a guarantee from the free throw line with 100% accuracy in his 12 shots, five of them in the last minute of the game.
With Jimmy Butler, the Warriors have risen from the ashes.
It was a heart-stopping game on Monday at the Chase Center in San Francisco, and also a rough one. With the score tied 10 times and 11 lead changes.
Brandin Podziemski became Butler’s unexpected partner in crime by scoring 26 points, while Stephen Curry had to settle for 17 after a more than discreet 2 of 8 on three-pointers.
Draymond Green watched much of the duel from the bench after accumulating a double technical and a flagrant, but reappeared at the key moment of the fourth quarter, disciplined to shield the local defense.
The Rockets, a young team that surprised during the season by finishing second in the West, were inexperienced, but also lacked offensive power.
Turkish player Alperen Sengun completed a double-double with 31 points and 10 rebounds, while Fred VanVleet scored 25 points on 8-of-12 three-point shooting.
The Warriors (seventh) and Rockets (second) will play the fifth game of the series on Wednesday in Houston.
Butler plays the hero
With Jimmy Butler back after his spectacular fall in the second game of the series, the Golden State Warriors came out on Monday determined to put the series against the Houston Rockets to bed.
After just over four minutes, the score was 16-4, but the Rockets were not intimidated. They spent the rest of the quarter correcting their early mistakes and reducing the Warriors’ lead to a tiny 28-26 at the buzzer.
The game became heated in the second quarter, with Draymond Green portrayed and charged with fouls. The constant interruptions unsettled the Warriors and allowed the Rockets to take advantage, boosted by Fred VanVleet’s three-pointers.
A 0-7 run before the break allowed the Rockets to go into the locker room at 50-57 and with good feelings.
But Golden State had not said its last word. With a 18-1 run at the restart, they went 68-58, an impressive streak that Ime Udoka could only cut with a timeout.
Green went to the bench with his fifth foul, a flagrant that added to the double technical he received in the second quarter.
The Warriors’ lead at the end of the third quarter (82-80) was again minimal.
The Rockets and Warriors played a pure ‘playoff’ fourth quarter, with leads never exceeding five points.
The two teams entered the final minute tied at 104, when Dillon Brooks fouled Butler as he attempted a three-pointer. He made all three free throws, visibly uncomfortable from the pain of the fall in the second game.
Alperen Sengun would close the gap and the Warriors played with fire by wasting their next attack with shots from Butler and Stephen Curry.
The Turk, however, who had victory in his hands, also missed his basket with 6 seconds left, with the rebound falling into the hands of Butler, who was fouled and made both free throws.
With four seconds to play, the Warriors decided not to foul, giving the Rockets the opportunity to take the game to overtime, but Fred VanVleet, who was excellent tonight from the 3-point line, missed his three-pointer
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