The Golden State Warriors drew first blood in their first-round series against the Houston Rockets in the playoffs on Sunday at Toyota Center.

The Warriors erected a 13-point lead at halftime and never looked back en route to a 98-85 victory.

Steph Curry once again led the way for Golden State with a game-high 31 points on 12-of-19 shooting, including five 3-pointers. Jimmy Butler also came up big in his Warriors postseason debut, tallying 25 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals.

“(Curry) just made some amazing plays and obviously carried us offensively along with Jimmy,” said coach Steve Kerr in a report from the Associated Press.

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun drives to the basket against the Golden State Warriors.

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Rockets, on the other hand, were spearheaded by Alperen Sengun. In his first career playoff game, he had team-highs of 26 points, nine rebounds and three steals.

The 22-year-old center was so impressive that he earned the praise of the mother of his teammate, Tari Eason.

“That Turk not scared of a single (expletive) thing. Carrying us like he’s nine months (pregnant),” Teroya Eason hilariously wrote on X.

Sengun admitted after the game that they were “a little bit” nervous. Still, he showed that he’s not afraid of the spotlight.

“I just wanted to win,” said the pride of Turkey in the postgame press conference. “I was just trying my best. I was in attack mode.”

He tied the second-most points in a postseason debut in Rockets history, trailing only NBA legend Elvin Hayes, who had 31 markers in 1969.

For his part, Eason contributed six points, four rebounds and two steals in 21 minutes off the bench.

To recall, the 23-year-old forward called out the Warriors late in the 2023-24 regular season amid the Rockets’ 10-game winning streak. At that time, the two squads were battling for a ticket to the play-in tournament. Golden State eventually earned the 10th spot, while Houston finished in 11th place.