In a decisive Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, the Golden State Warriors ended the Houston Rockets’ season with a 103-89 victory.
Buddy Hield shone with a career-high 33 points, while Stephen Curry added 14 of his 22 points in the final quarter. This win sets up a Western Conference semi-final against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who also advanced as a lower-seeded team.
The Warriors’ strong defence and accurate shooting were key to their success against the second-seeded Rockets, who had an impressive regular season record of 52-30. Golden State made 18 three-pointers, with Hield tying an NBA record by hitting nine in a Game 7. Meanwhile, Houston struggled from beyond the arc, managing only six out of 18 attempts.
Jimmy Butler contributed significantly to Golden State’s win with 20 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. The Warriors will now travel to Minneapolis for the next series opener on Tuesday. Amen Thompson led the Rockets with 24 points and nine rebounds, while Alperen Sengun added 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Southwest Division champions.
The Warriors controlled much of the game from the start. They led by four after the first quarter and extended their lead early in the second quarter thanks to Hield’s three-pointer and Kevon Looney’s three-point play. By halftime, Hield had scored 22 points, helping Golden State to a comfortable lead of 51-39.
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Houston attempted a comeback after halftime with Sengun and Thompson leading a run that reduced Golden State’s lead to just three late in the third quarter. However, Butler responded with a crucial three-pointer that helped maintain their advantage going into the fourth quarter at 70-62.
Curry then took charge in the final period after being relatively quiet earlier. He started with a layup and a three-pointer that pushed Golden State’s lead back into double digits. Despite Houston narrowing it down to eight points later on, Curry and Hield sealed the game with consecutive threes during a decisive 12-0 run.
Pacers Upset Cavaliers in Eastern Semifinal Opener
In another playoff matchup, Andrew Nembhard scored 23 points to help Indiana Pacers secure a surprising road win over Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference semi-final. Despite Donovan Mitchell breaking Michael Jordan’s record for consecutive games scoring over thirty points in playoff openers, Indiana’s backcourt proved decisive.
Nembhard was efficient from beyond-the-arc going five-for-six while Tyrese Haliburton added twenty-two points along with thirteen assists during an important fourth-quarter surge that secured victory for Indiana against top-seeded Cleveland.
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Cleveland’s Struggles Without Garland
Cleveland missed All-Star Darius Garland due to injury which affected their performance despite Mitchell’s efforts who finished with thirty-three points surpassing Jordan’s record streaks between ninety-one-ninety-three & ninety-seven-ninety-eight seasons respectively.
The Cavaliers had been dominant against Miami Heat sweeping them away comfortably but faced challenges without Garland against Indiana whose players like Pascal Siakam Aaron Nesmith Myles Turner contributed significantly towards this upset win over Cleveland at home court advantage lost now heading into next game scheduled Tuesday night hoping bounce back stronger than before!