The Golden State Warriors took down the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament, and as their reward, they get to take on the two-seed Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.
The Rockets finished their 2024-25 regular season with a 52-30 record, led by head coach Ime Udoka, stars Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, and a very impressive supporting cast. The Warriors, on the other hand, have relied mostly on their star trio of Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green to carry the load.
Game 1 of their playoff series tipped off on Sunday night, and the Rockets did not waste any time making a statement.
Within the first minute-and-a-half of Game 1, Rockets center Alperen Sengun had an insane poster dunk of Warriors forward Draymond Green to set the tone, and the crazy highlight has immediately gone viral on social media.
Via NBA on TNT: "SENGUN OVER DRAYMOND 😱"
Via Hoop Central: "SENGUN POSTER ON DRAYMOND."
Via NBA: "ALPEREN SENGUN CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF
RIM-ROCKING POSTER SLAM EARLY IN GAME 1!!!
Warriors/Rockets underway on TNT."
Via House of Highlights: "SENGUN OVER DRAY 🤯🤯🤯"
Green was just announced as a finalist for NBA Defensive Player of the Year, so Sengun made sure to set the tone against one of the league's best right out of the gate. The Rockets were able to jump out to a three-point lead at the end of the first quarter, but an incredible start to the second by Golden State gave them the edge right back.
This will certainly be an incredible series, and exciting plays like this one will continue to make it even better.
