The Golden State Warriors will be targeting a crucial win against the Houston Rockets in the third episode of the sides' Western Conference playoff duel on Sunday.
A 1-1 record from the first two games means the series is level heading back to Chase Center as one of the NBA's most famous arenas ends a two-year wait since its last postseason action.
Match preview
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Losing on the road for the first time in just under a month, the Golden State Warriors were unable to build on their Game One victory over the Houston Rockets, who came out roaring in Thursday's second matchup to restore parity.
Steve Kerr's men were dealt a significant blow early on with Jimmy Butler having to exit the contest through injury, and the veteran's presence was missed at both ends of the court as the Warriors were defeated 109-94.
Likely to be without Butler for Game Three as well, the 2022 champions must now rally themselves to seize control of their playoff first-round series with a victory on Sunday against a revitalised Rockets outfit.
In what has been a major issue for the Warriors across the opening two games, their rebounding deficiencies came to the fore last time out with a -14 differential which ultimately led to more second chance points allowed.
Back on home court where they were beaten in each of their final three regular-season outings before claiming a crunch play-in win over the Memphis Grizzlies, Sunday's hosts will be eager to make home advantage count.
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Statistically one of the most inexperienced teams left in the playoffs, the Houston Rockets showed great mettle to recover from their disappointing outing in Game One and avoid going 2-0 down, which would have been a huge disaster.
Ime Udoka's men set the tone with a dominant start that saw them go up by 10 after the opening quarter, and they refused to take their feet off the gas, further extending their lead by six over the next two quarters.
After shooting just 39% on 87 shots in the opening matchup, the Rockets upped their field-goal conversion rate to 45%, while also more than doubling their success rate beyond the arc from 21% to 48%.
Jalen Green's renaissance was a major contributing factor to his side's impressive display on Thursday as the guard notched a game-high 38 points, 31 more than his horror show in Game One, to go along with six assists.
Without the comfort of their home crowd, the Rockets are set to be extensively tested in what is a first playoff game on the road for a vast majority of the current roster, but it is worth noting that Sunday's visitors emerged victorious on their last trip to San Francisco.
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Team News
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Jimmy Butler suffered a deep glute muscle bruise after his collision with Amen Thompson last time out and is a major doubt for the Golden State Warriors here.
Should Butler be unable to take part this weekend, Quinten Post could be handed a starting role with Jonathan Kuminga having fallen out of favour in recent times.
Twenty-nine-year-old Jae'Sean Tate is unavailable for the Rockets due to a right ankle impingement he suffered in the penultimate week of the regular season.
Jock Landale is also expected to miss out for the away side due to a knee problem, although the center is drawing increasingly closer to action and could be back as early as Game Five.
Golden State Warriors possible starting five:
Curry, Podziemski; Moody, Green; Post
Houston Rockets possible starting five:
VanVleet, Green; Brooks, Thompson; Sengun
We say: Warriors to win by 8+ points
The potential absence of Butler is definitely a huge blow for the Warriors, who however still have one of the best playoff performers of his generation in Steph Curry.
We are backing Curry to deliver another historic display and lead his side to victory in the end.
Adepoju Marvellous
