By: Eric He

The Golden State Warriors routed a shorthanded Houston Rockets team 123-101 on Thursday night in preseason action.

Brandon Rush started in place of the injured Harrison Barnes and played 28 minutes, recording 12 points and knocking down two 3-pointers, a good sign for the forward who struggled mightily last season.

Playing a Rockets team without James Harden and Dwight Howard, the Warriors jumped on them early and often, scoring 83 points in the first half alone. Stephen Curry recorded 19 points in 17 minutes, shooting 6-of-7 from the field, leaving no doubt his preparedness for the regular season.

The second half was essentially an audition period for roster hopefuls and playing time for veterans such as Marreese Speights and Jason Thompson. Fetus Ezeli had a strong game with 11 points and five rebounds in 22 minutes.

Ian Clark, Chris Babb, Juwan Staten and Jarrell Eddie saw some action, with Clark seemingly the favorite to earn the final roster spot.

Andrew Bogut sustained a broken nose in the second quarter and did not return to the game.