Top 5 Moments from Golden State Warriors' Pivotal Win vs. Houston Rockets

The Golden State Warriors needed the Jimmy Butler trade, a late-season surge and a win in the play-in tournament just to secure the seventh seed in the West, but they're off to a heck of a start now that they have it.

Thanks to 56 points from Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry and timely contributions from Draymond Green, Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody, Golden State opened this postseason with a 95-85 win over the second-place Houston Rockets.

As you can probably see by the score, the game often felt like a 1990s slugfest, but it also had its fair share of electric plays.

The best ones can be found below.

With 6:52 left in the third quarter, Curry hit a three that stretched Golden State's lead to 64-41 (more on that shot later).

The game effectively felt done. The Warriors looked more prepared and more poised, which shouldn't come as a surprise with a team that has Butler, Curry and Draymond Green.

But Houston ratcheted up the defensive intensity, started dominating the boards on both ends of the floor and gave itself a real chance to protect home court.

Their increased effort helped cut the lead to single-digits, which is where it was when Moody launched a three from the left wing with just four minutes left. The shot hit back rim, and had the Rockets secured it, they had a chance to cut the lead to four.

But Podz came flying in from the opposite wing, leapt through two defenders, attempted a tip-in that missed but set Draymond up for a wide-open layup.

Plays like that, especially from the non-stars, are exactly the kind you need to make a deep playoff run in the NBA.

We're cheating a little. This isn't one specific moment or even a minute or two of game time. This was essentially the entirety of Steven Adams' 20 minutes on the floor.

Every possession he played, Adams ferociously attacked every rebound and loose ball. His energy extended several possessions for his younger teammates. One that looked like a wide-open board for Buddy Hield quickly became an out-of-bounds call that went to Houston, just because he ran out the play. Adams' size was a real deterrent around the rim, too.

All in all, the chaos he generated led to a solid line of 12 rebounds (including five offensive) and six points in just 20 minutes. And he was the only Rocket who finished the game with a positive plus-minus.

Going forward, Houston head coach Ime Udoka may have to play the 31-year-old big man even more.

If there was one young Rocket who didn't look fazed by the pressure of a playoff debut, it was center Alperen Şengün.

The Warriors limited his playmaking and exposed him on defense a time or two, but Şengün was dominant inside the three-point line.

By the end of the game, he had 26 points, nine boards and three steals. And in the first quarter, he had Houston's most electrifying highlight.

With Jalen Green driving from the left wing, Şengün cut down the middle of the paint, caught Green's pass in stride and dunked all over Draymond.

Green, of course, got the last laugh, but it's already clear that this moment is not too big for Şengün. To win this series, he'll need a few other members of the young core to join him, though.

After his performances in the play-in tournament, there probably shouldn't have been any doubt about it this, and there certainly isn't now.

Playoff Jimmy is still a thing. And he showed in a big way to wreck the Rockets in closing time.

After the rest of a fourth quarter that was relatively quiet for Butler, he snagged an offensive and scored a putback with just under two minutes left that put Golden State up nine. Forty seconds later, he buried a 19-foot fadeaway that extended the lead to 11. And just to cap off his little run, Butler swiped his fifth steal and took the ball coast-to-coast for a dunk to get the Warriors their last two points of the game.

Curry led the way in scoring, and the playmaking responsibilities felt pretty evenly shared, but Butler's knack for dominating in the clutch is what put this game away.

And having a star like this alongside Curry should have Warriors fans wondering if the face of the franchise might actually get that fifth ring.

I told you I'd come back to that Curry triple that extended Golden State's lead to 23 points.

And rather than try to describe it to you, it's probably best you just watch.

Kevin Harlan's call was just perfect, because yes, "geometrically, that should not have happened!"

Nor should any of this, really. Curry is 37 years old. Based on our preconceived notions of what players his age are capable of, plays like this simply shouldn't exist.

But Steph has been smashing preconceived notions for well over a decade now. All the way back to his years as a Davidson Wildcat.

So, maybe we shouldn't be all that surprised he's still smashing them now.