SAN FRANCISCO – Rockets ahead Dillon Brooks took a verbal jab at Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Inexperienced the day earlier than the 2 groups met for Recreation 3 of their opening-round Western Convention playoff sequence at Chase Middle.
Saturday, it was Jalen Inexperienced’s flip.
Persevering with what’s been an at-times testy sequence between the Warriors and Rockets, Draymond Inexperienced and Jalen Inexperienced, simply moments after Golden State earned a 104-93 win to take a 2-1 sequence lead because of Steph Curry’s 36 factors, exchanged phrases close to midcourt. The 2 had been separated with out incident.
Requested after the sport what was mentioned, Jalen Inexperienced, the Merced native who was enjoying in his first NBA street playoff sport, stated, “Simply speaking. You already know, Steph had a very good sport. That’s the rationale they received. It was simply speaking.
“(Draymond) can’t really do much of anything else. Talking is his only way.”
Draymond Inexperienced was 3-for-11 from the ground in Recreation 3 but additionally added eight rebounds and 4 assists within the probably pivotal win. Within the first two video games, Inexperienced was a mixed 4-for-11 with 11 rebounds and 6 steals.
Requested postgame if he commented on Jalen Inexperienced’s painted fingernails and if the youthful Inexperienced took umbrage with that, Draymond Inexperienced stated, “I’m not sure what he took to. But it was a good win for us.”
The Warriors targeted on slowing down Jalen Inexperienced, and the fourth-year participant went 4-for-11 on Saturday with six rebounds and 5 assists. He had a mixed 45 factors within the first two video games.
Rockets guard Fred VanVleet bought between the 2 Greens proper after the sport. Requested what prompted the trade between his teammate and the older Inexperienced, a four-time World Champion and finalist for the 2024-25 NBA’s Defensive Participant of the 12 months, the veteran VanVleet stayed out of the combination.
“Oh, I don’t know. I didn’t see nothing, don’t know nothing,” Vanvleet stated. “On to the next.”
Throughout Recreation 2, Rockets guard and East Bay native Amen Thompson unintentionally took out the legs of Jimmy Butler, inflicting the Warriors ahead to depart the sport after a tough fall. Butler, nonetheless on the mend, didn’t play in Saturday’s Recreation 3.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr didn’t really feel Thompson’s play was soiled. When requested in regards to the incident, Brooks targeted on Draymond Inexperienced.
“No, I think the dirty player is Draymond (Green), giving him a little push as regular basketball players do,” Brooks stated. “And Jimmy’s fighting in the air for a rebound, and stuff happens. Amen’s not a dirty player. He has (nothing) to do with being a dirty player.”
Your response, Draymond?
“I don’t have one,” he stated Saturday evening.
The Rockets wish to do quite a lot of issues otherwise on Monday after they attempt to even the sequence earlier than going again dwelling for Recreation 5. That features having higher communication on protection and making different gamers, in addition to Curry, beat them.
The Rockets additionally really feel the Warriors wish to get within the heads of their much less skilled gamers. VanVleet, who helped the Toronto Raptors beat the Warriors within the 2019 NBA Finals, needs his teammates to stay level-headed and keep targeted on successful.
“It’s been a topic of conversation,” stated concerning the Warriors’ perceived head video games. “Clearly, we all know what that brings to the sport. However I’d say we’ve bought some unfastened cannons on our staff, too.
“We cope with all of it yr. We go at one another in follow. It’s part of the sport. Some guys wish to trash-talk. Some guys don’t actually do it, however so long as we give attention to basketball, we execute at a excessive stage, and it doesn’t take away from what we’re making an attempt to do and compete, I feel the last word trash discuss is to get the win. That’s crucial factor, to get the win, and to win this sequence.
“We’re not going to back down from anybody. I think that’s understood by now. And the rest is, can we execute at a high enough level to get wins.”
Initially Printed: April 26, 2025 at 10:48 PM PDT
