Rockets Face 'Dangerous' Circumstances Going Into Game 4

The Houston Rockets are trailing once again in the series with the Golden State Warriors after losing 104-93 in Game 3.

With Game 4 approaching tomorrow, the Rockets are in need of a win now more than ever. That job becomes a little harder with Jimmy Butler potentially returning to the court.

"Now it gets dangerous for the Rockets. The medical team held Butler out to give his body two extra days to heal, but he worked out on the practice court pregame, according to a league source, and there’s belief that Butler will be back for Game 4 on Monday night with a chance for the Warriors to go up 3-1," The Athletic insider Anthony Slater wrote.

Only 13 teams have overcome a 3-1 deficit in a best-of-seven series in playoff history. No team has completed such a comeback since 2020, where the Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz to advance in seven games in the COVID bubble.

The Rockets have two of the 13 comebacks in this regard, beating the Clippers in seven games a decade ago back in the 2015 Western Conference semifinals. They also beat the Phoenix Suns 30 years ago back in 1995 to reach the Western Conference finals en route to their second consecutive title.

The Rockets can come back down 3-1, but they would rather not if they have a choice. A win in tomorrow's Game 4 at 9 p.m. CT would get them back in the series and make it a best-of-three.