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The Golden State Warriors had a chance to close out the Houston Rockets in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Wednesday night, but they failed to do so, with the Rockets pulling out a 131-115 victory that was not nearly as close as it appeared to be. Houston increased their physicality with Stephen Curry significantly in this game, leading to some interesting comments from Draymond Green after the final buzzer sounded.
Curry has been battling an injured thumb on his right hand for several weeks now, and in Game 5, the Rockets appeared to be making an effort to make contact with his hand, or more specifically, his thumb, when they could. Green took note of Houston's strategy, but interestingly enough, he refused to complain about it because of how frequently people complain about his style of play.
“Yeah, I've noticed it. I think it's pretty obvious, but it is what it is,” Green said when asked if he thinks the Rockets are targeting Curry's injured thumb. “I'm not one to come to cry to you about what the league should do. I see enough people cry about me and I lose respect for those people that cry about me, so I would not allow somebody to lose respect for me over that. It's all good.”
Draymond on defenders targeting Steph’s injured thumb:
“Yeah, I’ve noticed it. I think it’s pretty obvious.”
Reporter: “Do you think the league should crack down on it?”
Draymond: “I’m not one to cry to you about what the league should do. I see enough people cry about me and… pic.twitter.com/0ERkmIPVru
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) May 1, 2025
Draymond Green, Stephen Curry looking to eliminate Rockets in Game 6
The Warriors appeared to be caught off guard by the Rockets game plan in Game 5, and they got smoked as a result. This isn't Curry and Green's first rodeo, though, as they have accumulated a wealth of playoff experience over the years during their recent dynastic run with Golden State. While Game 5 was ugly, it was only one game, and with a 3-2 series lead, the Warriors are still in the driver's seat for the time being.
Even after getting destroyed in Game 5, Golden State has a perfect set of circumstances in front of them for Game 6. They will be playing in front of their home crowd at the Chase Center, and they will be the ones with the fresh adjustments after they got punched in the mouth by Houston. Tip-off for Game 6 is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on Thursday night, and if the Warriors win, they will set up a second-round battle for themselves with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
