NBA Playoffs: Warriors vs. Rockets Game 4 recap, full highlights

Despite an injury to MVP Stephen Curry, the Warriors cruised by the Rockets in Game 4 to go up 3-1 in the series

The Golden State Warriors had to be excited about the prospects of getting the reigning MVP in point guard Stephen Curry back in the lineup on Sunday afternoon for Game 4 against the Houston Rockets. After missing most of the second half of Game 1 and then the previous two games—including a Game 3 loss in Houston—the Warriors were certainly looking to get some Curry magic rolling.

Unfortunately for the Warriors and for basketball fans, though, Golden State’s decision to bring him back for this game may have ultimately been a poor decision. In the midst of a tough first half as the Rockets were clearly still riding high from the victory in their last meeting, Curry slipped on a wet spot on the court at the end of the second quarter and sprained his knee. He was taken back to the locker room and, though he tried to come back after halftime, he would remain out for the rest of the game.

Houston and Golden State were tied going into halftime with the Curry injury seemingly looming large, but it actually didn’t matter at all for the defending champions. Klay Thompson filled it up from long range and the rest of the warriors followed suit, including Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green, both of whom had bounce-back performances after being disappointing in Game 3. That was enough to propel them past a Rockets team that looked deflated coming out of the locker room for whatever reason and to give the Warriors a 3-1 series lead.

Three Stars

Klay Thompson, Warriors – 23 points, five assists, two rebounds, two steals, 7-11 from three

James Harden, Rockets – 18 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds, seven steals

Andre Iguodala, Warriors – 22 points, five rebounds, four assists, one steal

Highlights

Next Game

The Rockets and Warriors won’t meet again for Game 5 until Wednesday, April 27. We’ll see what that means for Curry and what the Warriors will do with him as they look to close out the series.

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