NBA
Warriors Fall to Rockets Without James Harden 118-112
The Warriors toughest opponent this season has been the Houston Rockets. Both teams had faced one another twice this season prior to last evening’s matchup. Last time, Houston was without their all-star point guard Chris Paul. This time was different. The Warriors faced a hungry Rockets squad minus their top scorer James Harden. The Warriors lost those previous two matchups. Upon receiving the news about Harden, the Warriors seemed not to have taken their opponents seriously.
It would not take a rocket scientist to point out how adversely the news affected their play on the floor. The Warriors first quarter effort was dismal. Houston soared to a 15-point lead. This left the Warriors to play catch up the remainder of the game. A lot of the scoring opportunities for Houston were created by the Warriors who committed 17 turnovers! The Rockets hit 16 three-pointers en route to their third win of the year over the Warriors, 118-112. Houston is now one game away from sweeping the season series.
And We Have Lift Off!
Four of the Rockets starters finished with double figures. Eric Gordon led the way for Houston with 25 points, 4 assists. Paul, Gordon, and PJ Tucker each knocked down four of their shots from downtown. They also received solid contributions from Gerald Green who had 8 points off the bench. Tucker (18 points, 10 rebounds) and Kenneth Faried (20 points, 10 rebounds) both secured double-doubles. The Rockets managed to hold the lead for three quarters. This win served as a major confidence booster for Houston who recently blew a 19-point lead to the Lakers on the road. These two teams will face each other once again on March 13th at the Toyota Center in Houston.
Not Ready for Prime Time
It’s tough to find a silver lining from last evening’s Warriors performance. One of the few positives is that Draymond Green’s ankle sprain does not appear serious. After landing on DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins foot, Green was sent to the floor in pain. Green had 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists prior to leaving the game early in the fourth and did not return. Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson all scored 20-plus points last evening. Cousins had a double-double (13 points, 14 rebounds), however, their efforts turned out to be a little bit too much too late. The Warriors will look to get back on track tomorrow evening against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center.
Written by Todd Smith
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