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Watch: Warriors and Rockets have first-half altercations
Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) controls the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the second quarter of Gme 4 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs first round at Chase Center. Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Watch: Warriors and Rockets have first-half altercations in Game 4

The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets have played a highly physical first-round series. Monday night, it spilled over into a series of second-quarter altercations.

After a second quarter packed with personal fouls, technicals, flagrant fouls and interminable video reviews, the Rockets went into halftime with a 57-50 lead. Early in the quarter, Draymond Green set a hard screen on Amen Thompson, then Dillon Brooks fouled Stephen Curry. Curry held up two fingers to taunt Brooks about his second foul, then Brooks went to rip the ball away and players on both sides started pushing and shoving.

When the dust cleared, Curry and Brooks both got technical fouls, while Green also got a technical even though he appeared to be breaking up the fight. Consider it a lifetime achievement award for a career spent racking up technicals — Green had 15 this season, while Brooks had 18.

It didn't take long for another incident. Tari Eason stole the ball from Draymond Green, who fouled him and "accidentally" kicked Eason in the head.

Eason got a technical, while Green got a flagrant foul, but was not ejected from the game. He did go into the locker room with four personal fouls, one technical foul and a flagrant, essentially a hat trick of bad behavior.

Ultimately it was a win for the Rockets, who seemed to rattle the Warriors, who committed eight turnovers in the quarter. Jimmy Butler, still limping slightly from his Game 2 injury, got in Brooks' face late in the quarter, but may have also been frustrated by scoring only four points.

Somehow, no one was ejected in the first half.

Sean Keane

Sean Keane is a sportswriter and a comedian based in Oakland, California, with experience covering the NBA, MLB, NFL and Ice Cube’s three-on-three basketball league, The Big 3. He’s written for Comedy Central’s “Another Period,” ESPN the Magazine, and Audible. com

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