It was the defining question for Houston going into this series: When the Rockets needed a bucket in the fourth quarter of a tight game, who would they turn to? Could they score in the half-court when it mattered?

When the Golden State Warriors added Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline, it felt like a proper present for Steph Curry to at least give him a chance to play -- as he termed it -- meaningful basketball again. But it felt like a bit of an oversell to think one player could turn a team dancing on the lottery line into a true-blue contender.

Stephen Curry scored a game-high 31 points and Jimmy Butler added 25 more points plus seven rebounds, six assists and five steals to lead the No. 7 seed Golden State Warriors to a 95-85 road win over the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets in Game 1 of their NBA Western Conference first-round playoff series on Monday.