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It's win or go home time for the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers . Editor's Picks NBA playoffs 2025: First-round schedule, scores, news and highlights ESPN East playoffs: Bucks crumble, Celtics advance, Pistons force Game 6 NBA insiders Why the Rockets' launch is still awaiting a superstar Tim MacMahon The Rockets find themselves down 3-1 to the Golden State Warriors in what has become an unusually chippy series. Draymond Green , Stephen Curry and Dillon Brooks all received technicals in a second-quarter Game 4 confrontation, while Green received a flagrant foul minutes later for pushing Tari Eason 's face to the ground when the two went to the ground after an attempted steal from Eason.
Eason also received a technical in the altercation. The real story, however, was Jimmy Butler once again becoming "Playoff Jimmy." Returning from injury, Butler led the Warriors with 27 points and grabbed the game-clinching rebound with four seconds remaining.
Can he deliver another clutch performance tonight to end the Rockets' season? Meanwhile, the Timberwolves are coming off a 116-113 win against the Lakers, powered by Anthony Edwards scoring 43 points. Minnesota was down 94-84 going into the fourth quarter, but it found a second gear defensively, limiting the Lakers to 19 points in the concluding frame. The Lakers have faded in the stretch in this series -- they've been outscored in all four fourth quarters by a total of 105-69.
In Game 4, head coach JJ Redick used the same five players in the entire second half: LeBron James , Luka Doncic , Austin Reaves , Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith . According to Elias, entering Sunday, no team since 1997-98 made no substitutions in one half of a playoff game. Can the Warriors and Timberwolves close things out? Follow along with all the live action right here.
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