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🏀 Good morning to all, but especially to …
THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS …
Stephen Curry carried the Warriors on his back in Game 3. With Jimmy Butler back in the lineup, Curry got plenty of help from his friends — both the stars and the supporting cast — in a 109-106 Game 4 win that gives Golden State a 3-1 series lead.
Butler scored five points in the final minute — all via free throws — after Fred VanVleet tied the game at 104. Butler went a perfect 12 for 12 from the line, and Golden State as a team went 20 for 22. Houston was 19 for 31.After three Butler free throws with 58 seconds left, Alperen Sengun scored to make it 107-106, and Butler missed a jumper. The Rockets called a timeout, and Sengun drove at Draymond Green, who didn’t yield an inch and perfectly challenged Sengun’s shot, which never had a chance.Butler made two more free throws, and VanVleet’s shot at the buzzer — though on line — came up short.
Butler and Green stepping up late with Curry (17 points) quiet is the main headline, but Brandin Podziemski was absolutely terrific with 26 points. He’s blossoming into the player the Warriors envisioned when they made him off-limits on so many hypothetical trades, Sam Quinn writes.
Quinn: “The Warriors were just patient enough to set themselves up for what now looks like a very promising playoff run. The lesson here is that sometimes, the best trade is the one you don’t make. That’s a lesson that can apply to a lot of teams right now, but it’s one that especially should be heeded by Golden State’s first-round opponent: the Rockets.”
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… AND THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
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