SAN FRANCISCO - In his two seasons in Houston, Fred VanVleet's positive influence on the Rockets' young core cannot be overstated. The veteran point guard, an NBA champion in 2019 and an All-Star in 2022 with the Toronto Raptors,

But Houston cannot afford to let bench players Gary Payton II and Buddy Hield make major impacts. Payton finished with a postseason career-high 16 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, and Hield was 5-for-11 on 3-point attempts to help finish with 17 points in 29 minutes.

SAN FRANCISCO – Facing the league’s most physical and handsy defense without his fearless co-star, the Warriors asked 37-year-old Steph Curry to put the offense on his shoulders in the third game of Golden State’s Western Conference playoff series with the Houston Rockets.