Golden State Warriors Hold Off Late Game Comeback Effort By Houston Rockets
Following a big win over the Sacramento Kings, the Golden State Warriors had a day off before traveling to play Jalen Green, Fred Van Vleet and the Houston Rockets. In a game where the Dubs were expected to win handily, they took care of business and got the job done winning 106-95. One notable headline is that Draymond Green made his season debut, moving Chris Paul to the bench for the first time in over 1,300 games. It is still so early in the season and Kerr doesn’t have his rotation down pat yet, but it seems as if when everyone is healthy, CP3 will be the odd man out of the starting lineup.
Houston jumped out to a quick 8-2 with a pair of threes from Jabari Smith Jr. and Dillon Brooks, but Klay Thompson responded with a few buckets of his own including a sweet three ball to bring the score to 13-10 in favor of the Rockets. It was a three point barrage for Golden State in the first quarter as Klay, Curry, Payton, Saric, and Kuminga all got one to go. The Rockets stuck right with them every step of the way though, as the first quarter came to a close with the Warriors up 26-24. It was in the second period where the Dubs began to pull away a little bit. They came out hot, going on a 10–0 burst to start the period headlined by a GP2 steal and transition layup. Journeyman Jeff Green got fouled and knocked down two free throws to put an end to the run but Payton and Wiggins came right back with two big threes to extend the Warriors lead to 16 with 7:32 to go. Houston fired back with a 19-7 run of their own including a nice Jalen Green three ball, trimming the lead to 49-45 with just over a minute left. But to close out the half, Wiggins got an and-1, Klay splashed a three pointer, and Curry tossed an oop to Klay to bring the score to 57-47.
Klay stayed hot to start the third, quickly spraying a deep three ball off a Draymond assist. But the typical Warriors dominant third quarter showing was nowhere to be found. The Rockets made it an emphasis to get to the rack and they were very successful, scoring several layups and getting the charity stripe with ease. Midway through the quarter, Houston cut the deficit to three points after Segun got an inside look for two. Payton and Moody both hit threes before the quarter ended but the Rockets just wouldn’t go away. At the end of the period the Warriors clung to a six point lead, 81-75. Things got even dicier for the Dubs in the fourth. Houston continued to attack the paint and got three layups to fall to start the quarter on a 6-0 run. CP3 stopped the bleeding with a sweet mid range jump shot but rookie phenom Amen Thompson came right back with a step back jumper to tie things at 83. A few minutes later, Jalen Green gave the Rockets their first lead since the first quarter but from that point on, it was all Golden State. Draymond Green gave the Dubs a one point lead before Curry caught fire and cashed in four three pointers in a row including a nasty pump fake that sent Dillon Brooks flying past him. With 90 seconds left the Warriors were up 10 and after a pair of free throws from Curry and CP3, the game was over.
Curry led all scorers with a mediocre 24 points. He also tallied 7 boards and six assists, while going 6-6 from the free throw line. Klay contributed with 19 points on 7-12 shooting including 5 threes. Draymond’s first game back was underwhelming on the stat sheet but his impact goes a lot further than the box score. He finished with 4 points, 5 boards and 5 assists. In Chris Paul’s first ever game coming off the bench, he chalked up 8 points and 7 assists, but notably had a plus/minus of +22, leading the team. Gary Payton also played exceptionally well off the bench, recording 15 points on a 6-8 clip. For the Rockets, Jalen Green put up 21 points while Sengun and Smith Jr. had 19 and 14 apiece. Dillon Brooks snuck into double figures with 12, but everyone else was relatively quiet. It was a great overall defensive performance for the Warriors. The one drawback was turnovers. They coughed it up 14 times which will surely come back to bite them if it continues.
The Houston Rockets are a young and promising team, but I believe they still have a few years of development until they become a serious contender. I love their comradery and chemistry as they remind me of an AAU team just having fun out there. Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr, Tari Eason, Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore, and Alperen Segun all have very bright futures, and I am excited to see what this team looks like five years from now.
Moving on, the Warriors have a back to back and will have to get ready to face the New Orleans Pelicans tonight at 8pm. Depending on who plays, this game could go either way. Drayond, Klay and Kuminga are all questionable with injuries, I believe if at least two of them suit up the Dubs will come away with the victory. On the Pelicans side, no big names are out, but key bench players Trey Murphy and Jose Alvarado will be sidelined. If I had to say right now, I’d bet on the Warriors winning 119-114, grabbing their third win of the season and third win in a row.