Warriors edge Rockets in bad-tempered game

SAN FRANCISCO — Players on the Warriors and Houston Rockets got into a shoving altercation midway through the second quarter of Golden State's 109-106 win Monday night in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series, leading to three technical fouls before tempers flared again just ahead of halftime.

With the game tied at 36, Golden State star Stephen Curry dribbled down the sideline when teammate Draymond Green put a hard screen on Houston's Amen Thompson. Dillon Brooks fouled Curry, then appeared to become angry about the push and went at Curry and Green.

"I got a technical tonight, and there was guys way more aggressive than me, so that's crazy," Green said. "They were trying to muddy the game up, but it's fine."

Curry received a technical for "taunting" Brooks, who also received a technical along with Green.

"All he said was 'that's two'," Green said in reference to Brooks' two fouls at the time. "There's been way more taunting than that in this series. But, hey, it is what it is, I like it."

Warriors rookie Quinten Post and Houston's Jabari Smith Jr flailed their arms at each other, but avoided technicals upon replay review by the officials.

Then, with 2:44 left in the quarter, Green received a Flagrant 1 foul for pushing Tari Eason's face to the ground, and Eason also received a technical. Green was dribbling when Eason went for a steal and the ball got loose. As both players hit the floor trying to corral it, Green's left leg was on the Rockets forward's neck.

The Warriors lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 and can clinch it with a win in Wednesday's Game 5 on the Rockets' home floor.

There was already bad blood between the teams. Jimmy Butler returned after missing Game 3 because of a pelvic contusion suffered in Game 2 on Wednesday after a hard foul by Thompson.

"I would die for these guys," Butler told TNT. "I got my joy back. I always say that we got the most confident guys."

Butler tried to secure a rebound when Thompson undercut him and sent the Warriors star's feet high into the air so that he came down straight onto his tailbone. Both players thudded to the floor and Butler grimaced in pain, grabbing at his backside. He stayed in briefly to shoot two free throws before going to the locker room.

"Jimmy was just amazing," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said, revealing that the 35-year-old six-time NBA All-Star had fought through the pain from his pelvis injury throughout the game.

"If it were the regular season, he'd probably miss another week or two, but it's the playoffs and he's Jimmy Butler," Kerr added.

On Friday, Brooks defended Thompson and called Green a "dirty" player. "Dillon said that? Interesting," Kerr responded.

While with Memphis three years ago, Brooks' Flagrant 2 foul on Gary Payton II during Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals of the Warriors' championship run in 2022 fractured Payton's elbow. He returned for Game 2 of Golden State's six-game NBA Finals victory over Boston.

Payton made an open-court foul against Brooks during Game 3, and when asked about it afterward, he said with a smile, "I didn't see it."

Agencies via Xinhua