SAN FRANCISCO - Houston Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet started the possession hugging Stephen Curry in the paint and ended it watching Curry nail a 3-pointer over Rockets guard Jalen Green with five seconds remaining on the shot clock.

This was the game the Rockets needed to win on the road. Jimmy Butler was sitting on the bench in a brown sweat suit, out with a pelvic contusion after his fall in Game 2. The Warriors are not the same team without him.

Stephen Curry eventually found his shooting groove while Houston tried everything to stop him, finishing with 36 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to lead the Golden State Warriors past the Rockets 104-93 on Saturday night without Jimmy Butler for a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series.