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2026 No. 1 hooper Tyran Stokes drops 3-word reaction for upcoming Warriors vs. Rockets playoffs game

Modified Apr 17, 2025 18:56 GMT

On Wednesday, ESPN's official account posted an image featuring Houston Rockets centre Alperen Şengün and Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry in the cover photo.

"PLAYOFF JIMMY IS BACK‼️ The Warriors will face the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs 🍿," read the post's caption.

Tyran Stokes, the top recruit for the class of 2026, shared the post on his Instagram Story and gave his prediction. The 6-foot-7 small forward hopes the Warriors will win the best-of-seven playoff series in five games.

"Dubs in 5"

The Warriors are set to face the Rockets in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs after a very close regular season series. Golden State won three of five games. First was a 127-121 overtime victory on Nov. 2, then a 99-93 victory on Dec. 5 and finally a 105-98 win on Feb. 13. Houston, however, edged the Warriors 91-90 during the NBA Cup event on Dec. 11, and recently secured a 106-96 on April 6, holding Curry to just 3 points.

In that game, Dillon Brooks of Houston scored 24 points, while Şengün recorded 19 points and 14 rebounds and Jalen Green added 21 points. Their defense played a pivotal role in holding off Golden State.

The playoff series commences on April 20 at the Toyota Centre. Games 1 and 2 will be played in Houston, followed by Games 3 and 4 at Chase Center. If needed, Games 5–7 will alternate venues.

Tyran Stokes is set to visit Kansas this weekend

Tyran Stokes will take an official visit to Kansas this weekend. The top player at Notre Dame High School from California visited Louisville previously. He has received offers from other top programs such as Michigan, Kentucky and Auburn.

In his junior year, Stokes averaged 21.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists. On the EYBL circuit, he averaged 20.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists.

Recently, Stokes announced that he will not play the AAU circuit this summer. This has led to speculations about his possible reclassification to 2025. However, nothing has been confirmed. On3's prediction suggests there is a 42.7% chance of Stokes committing to Louisville, followed by Kansas at 37.3%.

About the author

Nishant is a Delhi-based journalist at Sportskeeda specializing in High School Sports. He graduated in Mathematical Sciences and is pursuing a Masters in Operational Research at Delhi University.

With his educational background and over four years of experience, Nishant likes to be precise with information. He is passionate about cricket, football, basketball, and chess, often writing about events and game analysis.

His favorite team is the Michigan Wolverines, and he thoroughly enjoyed their unbeaten season and championship win, especially when it culminated in Jim Harbaugh fulfilling his promise of getting a tattoo.

When he is not working or watching sports, Nishant likes to play football and write poetry. Wrapping everything in humor with relatable memes and defending his heart out on the football field is why he gets up every day.

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