HOUSTON — Jimmy Butler sized up Alperen Sengun, milked the shot clock down and then hit a turning 19-foot stepback jumper over the Houston Rockets big man with 1:03 left to play.
After Butler’s shot sealed Golden State’s 95-85 win over Houston in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series, the Warriors star nodded with confidence in a gesture that let his teammates, including Stephen Curry, know they have another star closer.
In his first playoff game with the Warriors, Butler delivered 25 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals to give the seventh-seeded Warriors a 1-0 lead over the second-seeded Rockets. Butler scored six of his points in the final 1:43 to put the game away.
“There were several moments where they cut the lead,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said. “… [But each time we] did a great job of getting Jimmy the ball. It always just settles the offense down. Even that last one, he hit over Sengun. That’s what we want. And I think we got to do the better job of making sure we’re getting him the ball.
“But overall, he’s such a huge calm force for us. Just calms everything down, get us to our spots and get us a good look.”
Butler is the first player to have 25 points and 5 steals in a playoff debut with a franchise since steals became official in 1973-74. He also tied Allen Iverson for the third-most playoff games with 25 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals.
In game in which the Warriors trailed by eight early after a furious Houston start that was punctuated by an early Sengun poster dunk on Green — and then built a 66-43 lead midway through the third quarter, only to see Houston slice that deficit to three in the fourth — Butler helped Curry and the Warriors when they needed it the most by making a play to stabilize things on the floor.
“He has that impact every game,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who secured his 100th playoff coaching victory. “He calms things down. He’s very confident, he’s very poised. He always believes we’re going to win.
“Jimmy is, he’s one of the best players in the league, and that’s what the best players in the league do. It’s not just about scoring or stats. It’s about settling the game down, having the presence and the nature to compete and win games like this.”
The first game of the Rockets and Warriors series might be a preview of things to come. It was physical, low-scoring and defensive-minded. Kerr likened it to a game out of “1997.”
In other words, it was a game that Butler was suited for.
“They’re an incredible team,” Butler said. “Definitely a physical one. But I would like to think that we don’t back down from any challenge anyways and we met brute force with brute force. Maybe a little bit of finesse in there as well. I think we handled their pressure incredibly well knowing that coming out the next game is probably going to be two to three times even more physical.”
The Warriors know they will have to find a way to keep Houston off the offensive glass. The Rockets had 22 offensive rebounds and 22 second-chance points.
They also know Houston will throw more at Curry. Much of the talk entering the series was how Houston can smother Curry with long and athletic wing defenders. The Warriors star point guard was able to overcome the physical defense by hitting 12 of 19 shots, including five 3-pointers, for 31 points. It was his seventh career 30-point game against the Rockets in his postseason career, tied for his most against a single opponent, according to ESPN Research.
When Houston loaded up on Curry, the point guard knew the ball would find Butler. The Warriors are 25-8 since Butler made his debut in Chicago on Feb. 8. They also had the top-ranked defense during that span as well.
In their first playoff game together, Curry got to watch “Playoff Jimmy” work.
“Just a continuation of what it’s been like since he’s been on our team from February,” Curry said of what he saw in Butler in their first playoff game together. “He has a knack for big moments, even if it’s not him finishing the play, he had a big shot at the elbow, but just the guy that is composed with the ball, his poised out there, his presence and if they’re going to swarm and try to take me out of plays in the half quarter times, you have a guy that can create a lot of looks and defensively as well.
“He plays way bigger than the size. So just it’s obviously a great addition and it has been since February and we want to continue that.”
