After two games and a half games of battling Houston’s lumbering, earth-bound giants in what seemed to be a constricting box, Steph Curry and the Warriors finally broke loose. Without an injured Jimmy Butler, a hot-shooting Buddy Hield gave Curry the oxygen he needed to breathe — and score 36 points — against the Rockets.

Early in the fourth quarter when the Warriors were down 77-74, Curry crossed up Brooks and launched a three-pointer. After Curry released the shot, Brooks, who was right up in Curry's grill, seemed to swipe at his bandaged right hand (Curry has been dealing with thumb injury since January).