Rockets Battle Warriors in Final Game of Road Trip
Back at It. Best in the West? Continue the Blueprint.
Houston’s five-game road trip finally comes to an end tonight with a matchup against the Golden State Warriors. This is the first time this young team is playing the day after a game. Eric Gordon is out with an injury, and Danuel House Jr. remains out for the Rockets as well. The squad left it all on the court in a heartbreaking loss to the Nuggets yesterday, 95-94. We’ll see what energy this young group can muster, and how they bounce back, against one of the best teams in this early NBA season. The squad was noticeably frustrated after yesterday’s loss. Hopefully they can brush it off and return to making strides on the court. The Rockets and Warriors were once upon a time the league’s hottest rivalry, but those days are long gone. Houston now plays David to Golden State’s Goliath.
We’re not even ten games into the season, but it doesn’t take a basketball savant to realize this Warriors team is good. And they’re still waiting on the return of their second-best player, Klay Thompson, who missed all of last season with an ACL-injury. Nonetheless, Golden State hasn’t missed a beat without Klay to start this season. Steph Curry is getting MVP-chatter again, and the Warriors are off to a 7-1 start, tied with the Utah Jazz for best record in the West. And Golden State’s lone loss came in overtime, against the Memphis Grizzlies. Andre Iguodala is resting tonight, with tonight being the first of a back-to-back for the Dubs, as the Warriors play tomorrow against the Atlanta Hawks. Tonight will be a great test for Houston’s young backcourt, Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green, who are both coming off rough games. The Rockets need their backcourt of the future to bounce back if they want any chance of pulling off the NBA’s biggest upset of this young season.
This is going to be arguably the toughest game of this road trip, under difficult circumstances, with the Rockets coming off a heartbreaking loss only yesterday. Houston needs to continue the blueprint of playing hard and improving with each game, regardless of the outcome. The squad is getting better, and they’ve grown leaps and bounds over this road-trip. With a few tough losses already under their belt, it’d be nice to see the Rockets finally get a win before returning home. However, don’t count on it. Houston’s sixth man Eric Gordon, who’s been playing extremely well is out tonight with a groin injury. Which means we’ll see more combinations of different players in Stephen Silas’ rotation. Everyone will likely get a chance to see some court action tonight. It’s a big opportunity for a lot of players on this Rockets team to show their value. And at the end of a long road trip, with two days off after tonight, Houston would love to upset the Warriors. All good teams have let-downs, and with the Rockets’ record, that could play in Houston’s favor tonight if Golden State comes out with a lackadaisical mindset.
Chase Center: San Francisco, California
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (1-8): White
Golden State Warriors (7-1): Blue “Classic Edition”
TV: 7:30 PM CT – AT&T Sportsnet SW