Steph Curry powered the Golden State Warriors in their 104-93 win over the Houston Rockets, receiving capable help from the likes of Buddy Hield, Gary Payton II, and more.

Draymond Green was at his brutal defensive best, not showing up on the box score but doing all the little things well that made the team tick.

Jimmy Butler missed the game due to the injury he sustained in the second game but Steve Kerr didn’t let his contribution go unnoticed.

It reminded him of the 2015 NBA Finals MVP, Andre Iguodala.

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The moment it became clear that Butler would miss this game, the Warriors became outsiders for this game against an already fancied Rockets outfit.

Fred VanVleet even insinuated before the game that the Warriors can’t beat them without Butler, a statement that couldn’t have aged much worse.

A major reason why that happened, according to Steve Kerr, is that despite Butler not making an active contribution to the team score, he was invaluable to the win.

Kerr spoke about Butler’s contribution on the bench and what he did as a big reason why the Warriors pulled out this unlikely win.

He said: “Jimmy is, he’s just so smart. He reminds me so much of Andre Iguodala. Incredible basketball IQ and then the ability to communicate what he’s seeing to his teammates.

“He was really important for us in that regard, he was talking to guys throughout the game, giving them advice, giving them help and that was big.”

74% of the time, the team who wins the third game after being 1-1 in the first two goes on to win the series.

If the Warriors were not already feeling good about their chances, this win will send their confidence soaring, especially due to the circumstances it came in.

Beating the Rockets without Butler in town is massive for their prospects and will also send a message to the rest of the NBA that they’re here to stay.

The Warriors were no ordinary seventh seed anyway but they were a .500 team before the addition of Butler, so what they proved here is that the playoff version of this team is a different animal, with or without Butler.

The experience and know-how to win when the lights are the brightest is an intangible that can’t be measured, only felt, and the young Rockets felt it in full flow in Game 3.

The Warriors are well-placed to make a deep run this playoffs, fancying their chances of toppling young upstarts in the process.