Big lineup change sparks Warriors to scrappy win in Houston

The Golden State Warriors put it all on the line against the Houston Rockets on Thursday, with veterans Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green all playing 30 minutes after Wednesday's disappointing loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

While that trio were again pivotal in a hard fought 105-98 win over the Rockets, it was arguably Steve Kerr's lineup change prior to the game that proved most important as the Warriors enter the All-Star break on a high.

Brandin Podziemski came up big for the Warriors on Thursday

Having seen Buddy Hield go 1-of-9 shooting and finish as a -21 in 29 minutes against the Mavericks, Kerr turned to second-year guard Brandin Podziemski to start alongside Curry in the back court.

The move paid immediate dividends, with Podziemski scoring a game-high 14 points in the first-half as Golden State took at 62-48 lead to half-time. The Warriors looked in complete control when they extended that lead to 24 by late in the third-quarter, before a young and unheralded Rockets lineup surged back into the game and threatened another Golden State collapse.

Houston drew to within two with six minutes still left in the game, but the visitors fortunately steadied thanks to some timely baskets from Curry, Butler, Green and Podziemski down the stretch. The Warriors ultimately escaped with a seven-point win, pushing them back above .500 and with renewed momentum entering the break.

While Hield was limited to 14 minutes and again struggled in shooting 1-of-5 from the floor, Podziemski played a game-high 39 minutes and stuffed the box score with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Curry continued his offensive aggression with another 13 3-point attempts, with the 2x MVP going for a game-high 27 points, five rebounds and three assists in 35 minutes. Butler fell short of a fourth-straight 20-point game since joining Golden State, but the 6x All-Star still had 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists while finishing as an equal team-high +10.

Moses Moody also started as Kerr went small without a recognized center, leaving Draymond Green to play predominantly at the five where the veteran forward had 13 points, four rebounds, eight asissts and two steals in 30 minutes.

The Warriors shot less than 40% from the floor and just 26.8% from 3-point range, but made 14 more free-throws than the Rockets in another encouraging sign of Butler's impact. Players will now get a well deserved break before facing the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center next Thursday.