The Warriors earned their spot in this first-round series via the Play-In Tournament, knocking off the Memphis Grizzlies to grab the West's No. 7 seed. The Rockets ended up with the No. 2 seed in an ultra-competitive Western Conference, finishing 52-30 in the regular season. Game 3 is set for Saturday in San Francisco.

The Rockets are built on being a big, physical team that wants to dominate opponents into submission. They ranked fourth in the NBA in defensive rating during the regular season and have held the Warriors to an average of 94.5 points per contest in the first two games of this series.

Without Butler in the lineup, the Warriors struggled offensively in the 109–94 loss—star Steph Curry once said Butler makes the Warriors' possessions easier, so his absence naturally threw a wrench into the Warriors' plans to snatch away two wins during the Rockets' playoff homestand.