The Golden State Warriors have advanced in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, securing their spot by defeating the Houston Rockets 103-89 in a decisive Game 7 on Sunday.
Their next opponent in the Western Conference Semifinals will be the Minnesota Timberwolves, with Game 1 scheduled for Tuesday. This matchup marks a rare occasion in NBA history: only the third time since the 1984 seeding implementation that the 6th and 7th seeds in a conference have met in a series. Previous instances include the 2023 Warriors-Lakers series and the 1987 Rockets-SuperSonics matchup.
Golden State`s victory was fueled by a historic offensive performance. For the first time in franchise history, the Warriors had three players score 20 or more points in a Game 7. Buddy Hield led the team with 33 points, supported by Stephen Curry`s 22 points (including 13 in the crucial fourth quarter) and Jimmy Butler III`s 20 points. For the Rockets, Amen Thompson was the leading scorer with 24 points.
Offensive struggles plagued the Rockets, who shot just 40.5% from the field and committed 11 turnovers while making only six three-pointers. In stark contrast, Golden State was dominant from beyond the arc, hitting 18 three-pointers on the same number of attempts (18) that Houston took in total from deep. Notably, Buddy Hield alone made nine three-pointers, surpassing the Rockets` team total.