2 weeks Ago
On Sunday night, the Houston Rockets saw their first NBA Playoffs action since 2020, facing off against longtime rival Golden State. The Warriors got the better of Houston in Game 1, cruising to a defensive-minded 95-85 win behind an expected great performance from Steph Curry. The home team shot poorly to begin the game, scoring just 13 points in the second quarter and 34 in the entire first half.
The lethargic start eventually helped the Warriors nab a 23-point lead, which Houston had to claw back from to make it a game in the fourth quarter. The Rockets would eventually grind the lead down to three, but the damage was done. Despite this core starting its postseason off 0-1, there’s cause for optimism regarding the rest of the series.
Houston’s slower start was somewhat anticipated, with a huge amount of the team’s contributors — including Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason — playing in their first-ever Playoffs game. Now that they have a jittery start out of the way, they should be able to play their typical fast and loose style moving forward.
Additionally, Houston won the rebound battle 52-36, and more importantly 22-6 on offense. The bigger Rockets were already thought of to have an advantage in that area, but that could be a legitimate reliable swing skill moving forward in tighter contests. And head coach Ime Udoka has proven his adjustments before have been able to put teams in position to succeed.
Lastly, Houston’s defense more than held up, holding the white-hot Warriors to just 95 total points through four quarters. The Rockets will need to bring more offensive juice, but its defense should be good enough to win the series. Houston will need to bring the energy and intensity it brought it the second half of Game 1 to the rest of the series, but there’s plenty of ball to be played.
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