The Warriors’ top two scorers on opening night, Jimmy Butler III and Stephen Curry, are injured and were unavailable Thursday in Houston.
The No. 3 and No. 4 scorers in that win over the Los Angeles Lakers last Oct. 21, Buddy Hield and Jonathan Kuminga, were traded to the Atlanta Hawks last month.
The No. 5 scorer on opening night, Draymond Green, was on the floor to face the Rockets and finished with 10 points.
And the Warriors, in their 62nd game of the season, summoned enough grit and gumption to scrap their way to an improbable, inspirational 115-113 overtime win at Toyota Center.
Such victories matter because they can lift the squad for the moment and help clear some of the cloud of defeat that can compromise collective self-esteem. A jolt of instant gratification also can help the Warriors grow the kind of spine that should serve them well as this season chugs along, and even in the future.
“It’s special,” Al Horford, referring to prevailing with an ultra-thin roster, told reporters at Toyota Center.
“We needed it,” Brandin Podziemski said after his strongest 40-minute performance of the 2025-26 NBA season.
“To be that short-handed and to have that kind of a performance on the road against a great team, I’m really proud of the guys,” coach Steve Kerr said. “It was incredible to watch.”
In this faltering season, during which Golden State had lost eight of its last 12 games, the outcome was a mirage come to life.
The Warriors opened with 10 available players, three of which — LJ Cryer, Malevy Leons and Nate Williams — are on two-way contracts. A fourth player, Pat Spencer, only was on a two-way deal a month ago. This is how it is with a roster shredded by injuries to Jimmy Butler III, Seth Curry, Stephen Curry, Moses Moody, Gary Payton II, Kristaps Porziņģis and Will Richard.
“We needed a win,” Draymond Green said on “Warriors Postgame Live”. “We’re trying to keep this thing afloat. Hopefully we can get (Steph) back at some point, get KP back, get Seth back. We’ve got to win some of these (games) that you’re not supposed to win.”
The absences left the team’s over-35 veterans, Green and Horford, to strap everyone to their backs for the 53-minute victory. Green played a season-high 35 minutes and did a splendid job containing Kevin Durant (23 points). Horford played a season-high 33 minutes and bodied Alperen Şengün (17 points, five turnovers) into an ineffective evening.
“That was vintage Draymond,” Kerr said. “The defense, the leadership, the force, the passing.
“I played Al almost 33 minutes, so I’m probably going to be reprimanded by (director of sports medicine and performance) Rick Celebrini. I’m willing to take my punishment if it meant we got the win.”
The Warriors got the win because they good early and never backed down. The starting backcourt, De’Anthony Melton (23 points) and Brandin Podziemski (26), combined for 49 points. Gui Santos offset a career-high seven turnovers with 14 points, six rebounds, six assists, one steal and one block to finish a team-best plus-20.
Cryer came off the bench to provide a necessary boost, producing 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. When the Warriors came out for OT, he was on the floor, giving Melton a breather. The Warriors had a 111-106 lead when Cryer went to the bench. He played 20 minutes and finished plus-6, the only reserve in the plus column.
Golden State outshot Houston from the field (47.9 percent to 45.8) and was minus-2 (49-47) against the NBA’s best rebounding team. The Warriors overcame 18 turnovers — giving the Rockets 24 points — by posting a decisive advantage in mental toughness.
For a team coming off its worst collapse of the season, blowing a 17-point lead at home to lose to the Los Angeles Clippers, this was an impressive display of resilience.
“I just loved the fight; I loved the fight last game against the Clippers,” Kerr said. “We just have to compete night after night, and if we play well like we did tonight, we got a shot against anybody. The mentality is right. We just got to keep plugging away.”
This game won’t raise the ceiling of this roster. It needs both Currys and Porzingis to be available to give itself a sliver of a chance to advance from the play-in tournament and threaten an opponent in the playoffs.
But it’s something that should fortify what little belief the Warriors might have if or when reinforcements arrive.
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