Stephen Curry’s attention-grabbing moment with CJ Stroud after Rockets game

Still, plenty of Houston fans blasted Stroud for his postgame exchange. On X, critics slammed the Texans quarterback as a “fraud” and a “bum” for casually chatting with Steph Curry—someone they saw as the “enemy” after the Rockets dropped Game 1.

One fan said “Friendly ass fan base.”

Another user added, “Hated this.”

To be fair, most of the frustration is aimed at Curry, not Stroud. For years, Stephen Curry has been a thorn in Houston’s side, and his grip on this series only reinforces that. He’s consistently blocked the Rockets from reaching their postseason goals. If Stroud had exchanged words with a lesser-known Warrior like Gui Santos, the reaction likely would’ve been far more muted.

Stephen Curry continuing his mastery of the Rockets

At the same time, Stroud’s connection to Houston is still relatively new—he arrived well after Curry began tormenting the city. That’s part of the trade-off when you draft a young, talented quarterback. He brings promise and excitement for the franchise’s future, but he’s also more likely to casually greet a legendary athlete, even if that athlete has been a longtime nemesis for the fanbase he now plays for.

Curry led all scorers with 31 points, while Warriors forward Jimmy Butler chipped in 25 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and five steals to power the No. 7 seed Warriors past the No. 2 seed Rockets.

The Warriors built a 23-point lead, 66-43, midway through the third quarter thanks in large part to Curry’s scoring burst. But Houston responded with a late push, closing the period on a 16-3 run to trim the gap to 69-60 heading into the fourth.

The Rockets fought to stay within reach in the fourth, trimming the lead to just three at 76-73 after Amen Thompson hit a floater with 6:49 left. Golden State held their ground, but Houston kept pushing. Fred VanVleet nailed a crucial three-pointer to cut the Warriors’ lead to 84-80 with 2:38 remaining. However, Moses Moody quickly answered with a three, sparking a 7-0 run that essentially sealed the victory.

It was a challenging night for most of the Rockets. Alperen Şengün led the charge with 26 points and nine rebounds, but no other Houston player scored more than 11. VanVleet and Jalen Green struggled, combining for just 17 points on 7-of-34 shooting, including a dismal 2-of-17 from three.

Houston will look to even the series in Game 2 against Golden State on Wednesday evening at 9:30 p.m. ET.