After going up 3-1 in their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets, the Golden State Warriors got smoked in Game 5. With a chance to punch their ticket to the next round, the Warriors lost 131-116 on Wednesday, trailing by as many as 31 points en route to a crushing defeat.
Now, with another chance to advance to the second round, the Warriors are hosting the Rockets for Game 6 on Friday night. However, they are changing things up in their biggest game of the season thus far.
The Warriors have announced a new starting lineup of Steph Curry, Buddy Hield, Gary Payton II, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green for Game 6.
Tonight’s Starting Lineups: pic.twitter.com/F3C7aB2eHd
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) May 3, 2025
Not only will this be the fourth different starting lineup for the Warriors through six first-round games, but this is the first time Golden State has put these five players on the court together to start a game all season long.
Brandin Podziemski started all five of the Warriors’ playoff games so far, but he is getting moved to the bench for a pivotal Game 6 on Friday. In this series, Podziemski has averaged 11.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game, highlighted by a 26-point outing in Game 4.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr talked about possibly changing up the starters, but very few people could have expected him to bench Podziemski. Still, with the Warriors desperate for a win, Kerr seems to be making the right change.
The Warriors and Rockets are set to face off at 9:00 p.m. EST in Golden State on Friday.
