Jimmy Butler III returned from injury to inspire the Golden State Warriors to a critical 109-106 win over the Houston Rockets on Monday, handing the seventh-seeded Warriors a 3-1 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.
Butler, who missed Game 3 with a pelvic injury, overcame a slow start to score 14 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter.
He finished a perfect 12-for-12 from the free-throw line and scored Golden State’s final five points from the stripe, sealing the hard-fought victory at the Chase Center.
Brandin Podziemski also shone, draining six three-pointers and tallying 26 points. Stephen Curry contributed 17 points, Buddy Hield added 15, and Quinten Post chipped in with 13 off the bench.
Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with 31 points and 10 rebounds, while Fred VanVleet knocked down eight three-pointers en route to 25 points.
Amen Thompson added 17 points for the second-seeded Houston side, who now face elimination in Game 5 on Wednesday in Houston.
Houston had a late opportunity to tie the game, but VanVleet missed a long three-pointer at the buzzer.
Earlier, Butler’s composure at the free-throw line gave Golden State a narrow cushion in the final seconds after Sengun and the Rockets had closed the gap to just one point.
The Warriors overcame a seven-point half-time deficit with a dominant third quarter, opening with an 18-1 run.
Podziemski’s three-pointer early in the fourth quarter gave Golden State momentum, although Houston fought back to briefly lead before Butler took charge.
Golden State shot 41.9 percent from the field and made 17 of 46 three-point attempts (37 percent).
Houston shot a stronger 49.4 percent overall but fell short from long range, making only 11 of 23 shots (48.7 percent). Dillon Brooks contributed 11 points, and Steven Adams blocked four shots for the Rockets.
Earlier in the night, the Cleveland Cavaliers made headlines by sweeping the Miami Heat with a record-setting 138-83 victory — the fourth-largest winning margin in NBA playoff history.
Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points to lead Cleveland, who await the winner of the Indiana Pacers–Milwaukee Bucks series.