NBA: Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors

James Harden made headlines by saying he doesn’t think the Warriors are “that good”. Well, so far this season the Warriors have beat them three times and each time it’s been by double digits. The Rockets are surely entering this game with revenge on their mind, especially after being embarrassed on their own home floor.

Check out our instant recap here:

1st Quarter

The Warriors got off to a good start against the Houston Rockets. They were able to use Oracle Arena’s energy to match the Rockets hot shooting. Houston was looking to get up early and take the crowd out, but the starting five played exceptionally well. The Splash Brothers, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green were scoring the rock. Andrew Bogut did a magnificent job of protecting the paint and the Warriors had a 10 point lead midway through the first. The Warriors then went cold in the final four minutes of the quarter and the Rockets took advantage. They went on an 11-2 run and the Warrior lead was cut to three.

2nd Quarter

Time for the second unit to come into the game and they prove why the Warriors are the deepest team in the NBA. You can argue that this second unit could beat some NBA teams on their own. The Rockets came to play, so they were able keep up with the Dubs. Dwight Howard looked angry and he was effective without Bogut protecting the paint. Klay and Draymond entered the game with eight minutes left in the quarter and they sparked a run. Green hit a triple and a layup, which gave the Warriors a double digit lead once again. Howard scored with about seven and a half minutes left and they couldn’t find the basket for another three and a half minutes. The Warriors took off and they could not be stopped. Thompson got hot and he carried the Warriors to a 20 point lead going into the half.

3rd Quarter

Andrew Bogut came to play in the third, he scored the first five points for the Warriors and the lead was up to 23. Golden State was firing on all cylinders and the Rockets were getting frustrated. Trevor Ariza didn’t like a screen set by Steph Curry and he bumped him on his up way up the court. Curry wasn’t happy, but the situation didn’t escalate. The teams traded baskets for most of the quarter, but the Warriors got the lead up to 28 midway through the quarter. Harden turned it up another notch and was able to get it back to 20, but this game already seemed like it was over. The Warriors looked amazing offensively and they took a 102-78 lead into the final period.

4th Quarter

The fourth and final period just seemed like a formality. The Warriors had a 24 point lead coming into the quarter, so the second unit just had to maintain the lead for the final 12 minutes. For the first six minutes the second unit did just that, they maintained the lead and it all seemed to be over. However, the Rockets second unit went on a 16-2 run and all of a sudden it was a nine point game. Yes, you read that right, the Warriors 26+ point lead was now down to single digits. Steve Kerr went back with Curry, Thompson, and Green. They quickly sealed the deal and the Warriors won 126-113.