After winning Monday’s game at home and taking a commanding 3-1 lead, the Warriors had a chance to close out the series tonight in Houston. But Steve Kerr knew beforehand that it would be a massive challenge, “We know Game 5 will be the toughest one yet.” Rockets, being the second seed in the West and one of the top teams all year, would not go down without a fight. And that’s exactly what happened, as the Houston team’s elite defense led to some weird occurrences for the Warriors.
As soon as Game 5 began, it was clear that something was not clicking for Kerr’s squad. Especially for Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler. It took the Baby-Faced Assassin a quarter and a half to get his first bucket, a three-pointer from top of the key. He also missed a free throw, which is strange because Steph led the league in free throw percentage this season at 93.3%. Sure enough, Steph’s slow start led to massive concern about his health, particularly his lingering thumb injury.
In an image that has now gone viral, Steph’s thumb can be seen badly bruised, with a golf ball size bulge on his knuckle. Sure, he has played through the injury so far. But seems like the pain is starting to affect his performance. Fortunately, Curry was able to pick up pace late in the second quarter, finishing the half with 11 points. While he fought through his struggles, Butler was also having a tough time in Houston.
He started the game missing his first six shots, and finished the opening half with just six points. Of course, all but two of his points came from the charity stripes. And even Jimmy missed a free throw, contrary to his 100% efficiency in the last game. Meanwhile, Draymond Green spent majority of the second quarter on the bench.
(Developing Story)
The post Weird Things Are Happening To Warriors As Stephen Curry & Jimmy Butler Face New Playoffs Struggles appeared first on EssentiallySports.