The Golden State Warriors beat the Houston Rockets without Jimmy Butler in Game 3, but they will him back to advance, and not just for the warm fuzzies.

Even without Butler's services, the Warriors were still able to score a pivotal 104-93 win to give them a 2-1 series lead. This was thanks in large part to another incredible outing from Steph Curry, who dropped a game-high 36 points, with seven rebounds, nine assists and five triples.

The Houston Rockets had a chance to steal a game on the road against the Golden State Warriors, but they fell 104-93 in Game 3 to trail 2-1 in the series. The Athletic insider Kelly Iko believes that the Rockets blew a golden opportunity to take a lead in the series,