Rockets Fail to Launch in Sluggish 99-93 Loss to Warriors
Mental Letdown. No Terror. Number, Please?
No Steph Curry. No Draymond Green. Still no problem for the Golden State Warriors, who beat the Rockets 99-93 on Thursday night. It’s now Houston’s fifteenth straight loss to the Warriors. Their longest losing streak against any single opponent in franchise history. And the Rockets lost this game before it even started. They overlooked this undermanned Golden State team, and as a result, got outplayed from the opening tip. Tari Eason was out for Houston, as he remains in concussion protocol. But lacking their energetic pulse is still no excuse for the Rockets to have their most sluggish game of the season. Alperen Sengun led a slow offensive night for Houston with 16 points. Eason’s absence is very notable. The Rockets may have still lost in ugly fashion with him on the court, but Houston hasn’t looked this bad. And Thursday’s loss to the Warriors marks the first game all season The Terror Twins weren’t whole.
The Rockets were basically beaten by two players: Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggens. The duo combined to score 56 of the Dubs’ 99 points, well over half. Kuminga in particular had a career, night scoring a team-high 33 points to ruin Houston’s night. Despite his performance, the way the Rockets have been playing defensively all season, this was a game that felt like they still had a chance to win. They allowed Golden State to score only 99 points, but Houston’s offense was horrendous once again. This is also the first time all season the Rockets have lost two games in a row. Which is pretty impressive through their first 22 games. But now the squad is streaking in the wrong direction for the first time all season. The Rockets will try and get back on track as they finish this West Coast trip in L.A. against the Clippers on Sunday night.
These Rockets and Warriors will meet soon on Wednesday night in the NBA Cup Quarterfinal in Houston. In that game it’s very likely Curry and Green will both be available for the Warriors. But does it matter? Golden State just seems to have Houston’s number. The Rockets truly seem cursed against the Warriors. Curry hasn’t played in both losses this season to the Warriors. Yet Golden State has won both in relatively easy fashion (although the first game did feature an almost Houston comeback). James Harden was still a Rocket the last time Houston beat Golden State. That’s how long it’s been. And the Rockets will have another very solid chance on Wednesday night. Houston is 9-3 at home this season, and they went 3-1 in NBA Cup Group Stage games. That bloodthirsty-red court does seem to fire up the Rockets to play better basketball. But it be enough to end a winning drought to this Warriors team that’s least nearly five years? We’ll find out next week, as these teams will meet in Houston, with a chance to advance to Las Vegas on the line.