Will Warriors spiral like Cavs? Not if win over Rockets is any indication
Golden State won its eighth in a row in impressive fashion
By
Jack Maloney
•
3 min read
The Golden State Warriors struggled in the first few weeks after Kevin Durant went down injured, but that seems to be behind them. Tuesday night in Houston the Dubs won their eighth straight game, holding off the Houston Rockets 113-106. Here are a few quick takeaways from Tuesday’s action.
The Warriors Make A Statement
Monday night, the San Antonio Spurs showed their class with a blowout victory over the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers, and in doing so pulled within two games of the Warriors for the top spot in the West. Tuesday, against a high-powered Rockets team the Warriors had a chance to make a statement of their own, and they took it. Going into Houston without Kevin Durant, and beating a Rockets team that had won four in a row and seven of their last eight, was the team’s most impressive victory since Durant went down, and was a strong reminder that, until proven otherwise, the West still runs through Oracle Arena.
Defense, Defense, Defense
The Warriors’ defense has been excellent all season long, but during their current eight-game winning streak, they’ve taken it to another level. During that time span, the Warriors are sporting a league-best defensive rating of 94.9, an astonishing mark that’s over three points better than the next best team. Certainly it has been enhanced by playing some weaker opponents during the streak, but Tuesday night Golden State was impressive once again on the defensive end.
They held the Rockets to just 5-of-31 (16.1 percent) shooting from the 3-point line, which is tied for the fewest 3s the Rockets have made all season, and is their second-worst shooting performance from downtown by percentage this season. Following the game, coach Steve Kerr was pleased with how his squad made life difficult for the Rockets behind the arc.
“They missed some open ones, but that’s obviously a big focus for us,” Kerr said. “When we play these guys, we try to keep them off the line, run them off the line, force them to beat us with 2s, so we did a great job on the 3-point defense.”
Besides just helping them win Tuesday’s game, the Warriors’ ability to impact the Rockets’ 3-point shooting once again was a positive sign for the team moving forward, especially should the teams meet in the playoffs. In three meetings this year, the Rockets are just 26-110 on 3s against the Warriors this season. That 23.6 percent mark is nearly 13 percent lower than their season average of 36.2 percent.
James Harden’s Wrist: Something To Keep An Eye On
James Harden hasn’t missed a game this year, and based on his comments Tuesday afternoon, he doesn’t plan on sitting out anytime soon. He may not have a choice, however, depending on how things go with his wrist. He jammed it earlier in the month against Denver, and it seemed to be bothering him Tuesday night. He shot just 5-20 from the field, and after the game had it wrapped. He told reporters, that regarding playing with the wrist injury, “It’s pretty tough...It’s frustrating when you can’t follow through, but I’m going to continue to go out there and do my best.” He added that he doesn’t plan to sit out, however, saying his plan is: “Ice, treatment, get ready to go.”
It’s impressive to see Harden’s loyalty to his team, but perhaps taking a few days off would benefit both Harden and the Rockets in the long run.
Playoff Picture
Six and a half games behind the Spurs, and six games up on the Utah Jazz, the Rockets are pretty much locked into the third seed. As for the Warriors, they’re still in the drivers seat for the No. 1 seed in the West, as their win Tuesday extended their advantage over the Spurs to two and a half games. With a game still remaining between the Warriors and Spurs, however, and the Spurs holding the tiebreaker, that race has certainly not been decided.
