Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler Get Love from Fans as Warriors Earn G1 Road Win vs. Rockets

Stephen Curry scored a game-high 31 points and Jimmy Butler added 25 more points plus seven rebounds, six assists and five steals to lead the No. 7 seed Golden State Warriors to a 95-85 road win over the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets in Game 1 of their NBA Western Conference first-round playoff series on Monday.

The Warriors led by 23 points (66-43) with just over six minutes left in the third quarter, in part because of Curry's heroics, best exemplified by this shot:

However, Houston chipped away at the lead and ended the frame on a 16-3 run to cut the deficit to 69-60.

The Rockets hung around in the fourth, slashing the lead to as few as three points (76-73) after an Amen Thompson floater with 6:49 left in regulation. Golden State kept Houston at bay, but the Rockets wouldn't go away, with Fred VanVleet later hitting a huge three to knock the Warriors' edge down to 84-80 with 2:38 left.

However, Moses Moody immediately responded with a three to kick-start a 7-0 run, and that all but sealed the win.

This was a tough night for most of the Rockets. Houston big man Alperen Şengün excelled with 26 points and nine boards, but no other Rocket scored more than 11 points. Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green notably combined for just 17 points on 7-of-34 shooting (2-of-17 from three).

On the flip side, this game showcased how dangerous the Warriors can be with Butler partnered with Curry to lead the way. Golden State is now 25-7 with him on the court (including the play-in win vs. the Memphis Grizzlies and this playoff game against Houston) and 23-27 otherwise, so it's clear how much he means to them.

Understandably, fans and analysts praised the Curry-Butler duo's efforts.

Houston will now host Golden State for Game 2 on Wednesday evening at 9:30 p.m. ET.