Warriors win a nail-biter to take a 3-1 series lead over Rockets

Green stopped Alperen Sengun, Jimmy Butler grabbed the rebound and the Warriors held on for a 109-106 lead, giving themselves a 3-1 lead in their first-round series. Butler led the Warriors with 27 points, playing with a pelvic contusion suffered in Game 4, scoring Golden State's final seven points.

Sengun was a force, scoring 31 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. It helped that Green missed much of the second half with foul trouble — he returned with just under eight minutes to go in the fourth. Fred VanVleet made eight three-pointers and scored 25 points, but both players missed their shots in the final seconds as the Warriors escaped.

Once again, the Warriors struggled against Houston's double-big lineups where Sengun played alongside Steven Adams, often with 6-foot-10 Jabari Smith at "small" forward. But Warriors head coach Steve Kerr forced Adams out of the game with his "Hack-a-Kiwi" strategy, bringing in Kevon Looney to intentionally foul Adams, a poor free throw shooter.

Rockets head coach Ime Udoka subbed out Adams, and the Warriors went on a 7-0 run. Adams had seven rebounds, five on the offensive glass and blocked four shots — he was +16 in 26 minutes, in a game his team lost by three points.

Ultimately, the Warriors' veteran experience was the difference. They committed only one turnover in the second half. Butler got himself to the foul line down the stretch and Green managed to play defense without fouling on the game's biggest possession.

Now, like he's done in four previous series, Stephen Curry is on the brink of eliminating the Rockets from the playoffs again. If the previous four games are any indication, it won't be easy.