The Golden State Warriors leaned on their championship experience to overcome the young and energetic Houston Rockets in a decisive 103–89 victory in Game 7 of their first-round series in the 2024–25 NBA Playoffs. And while Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are usually the headliners, it was Buddy Hield who emerged as the unexpected hero.
After the win, Curry had high praise for Hield’s timely performance. “That’s what the game called for, and he answered it,” Curry said. “He’s been up and down all series, but he was playing great in this building. That shooting confidence—when the game tells you to shoot and you knock it down—it feels great. This is only his second playoff run, and to have that kind of confidence is huge. I’m really happy for him.”
Golden State’s game plan worked to near perfection—especially in the first half. Curry embraced a decoy role and scored just three points before the break, opening up space for Hield to attack. The sharpshooter capitalized, dropping 21 points in the first half alone and finishing with a playoff career-high 33 points, including nine made three-pointers.
Curry and Green execute the plan to perfection
Following the win, Curry and Green shared a brief on-court conversation, reflecting on their game plan and defensive goals. “We were just talking about the score,” Curry said. “We wanted to keep them under 90 [points].”
Golden State’s defense delivered exactly that. The Rockets were limited to just 40.5% shooting from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. According to Curry, it was a target they had aimed for repeatedly throughout the series.
“We had done it a couple of times, and we won,” he added. “We felt very confident that if we did that again, we’d be able to score enough to create some separation, and that’s kind of how it played out.”
Draymond Green highlights Hield’s two-way impact
While Hield’s 33-point explosion stole headlines, Draymond Green emphasized the guard’s underrated work on the defensive end vs Rockets.
“The 33 points were great. Nine threes? Incredible,” Green told reporters. “But what he did on the defensive end was even more impressive. He took on every matchup—whether it was Jalen [Green] or Fred [VanVleet]—pressuring the ball, fighting through screens, switching onto Şengün in the post, forcing a miss, and even securing the loose ball. He made winning plays all night.”
The Warriors now advance to the NBA Western Conference Semifinals, once again showing that their playoff DNA—and the rise of unlikely contributors like Hield—could make them a dangerous threat in the weeks ahead.