Wednesday’s Game 2 matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets was a crucial one for both sides.
Of course, the Warriors were looking to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the series before heading home for Game 3 and 4 while the Rockets were trying to avoid digging an even deeper hole for themselves.
It was the Rockets who were able to come out on top in Wednesday’s matchup as they defeated the Warriors 109-94 behind incredible performances from both Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun.
For the Warriors, disaster stuck early as their star forward Jimmy Butler left the game and never returned after suffering a pelvic contusion after taking a hard fall on a rebound attempt late in the first quarter.
With Butler sidelined and Branding Podziemski limited due to an illness, the Warriors were unable to keep place with the Rockets despite another great game from Stephen Curry.
While the Warriors lost Wednesday’s contest, they did see one of their rookies play a key role in the game for them off the bench.
That rookie was Quinten Post who finished the game with 12 points on 4-8 shooting from three-point range in 25 minutes off the bench.
With this performance, Post became the first Warriors rookie to have three or more three-pointers in a playoff game since 2017.
Of course, Patrick McCaw was the last Warriors rookie to hit three three-pointers, which he did in Game 2 of their Western Conference Finals series against the San Antonio Spurs in 2017.
This is an impressive feat for Post who had an increased role in Game 2 against the Rockets with Butler’s injury after he played just 12 minutes in Game 1.
With Post’s performance, it is also a great sign for the Warriors and one that they hope will continue as they will need Post to step up off the bench, especially if Butler misses time.
Golden State will now look to regain control of the series at home on Saturday in Game 3.
