SAN FRANCISCO – Facing the league’s most physical and handsy defense without his fearless costar, the Warriors asked the 37-year-old Steph Curry to put the offense on his shoulders in the third game of Golden State’s playoff series with the Rockets.

Three games into the NBA postseason, and the Warriors already have some schtick going. That was evident after Game 3, a game that saw star forward Jimmy Butler sit out with a pelvic contusion. More responsibility was heaped onto Curry, and he certainly responded.

This was the game the Rockets needed to win on the road. Jimmy Butler was sitting on the bench in a brown sweat suit, out with a pelvic contusion after his fall in Game 2. The Warriors are not the same team without him.