Tag: Houston Rockets

Houston Rockets head coach Paul Silas (left) and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) acknowledge the fans after Sun Nov 7, 2021’s game at the Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)

Golden State Continues Their Winning Ways – 120-107

By Barbara Mason

Nemanja Bjelica led the Golden State Warriors to a 120-107 win over the Houston Rockets shooting a flurry of shots from downtown sending the Chase Center into hysteria. His play was electric as was the entire Golden State bench.

Sunday evening the Golden State Warriors (8-1) continued their 8-game home-stand taking on the Houston Rockets(1-9).

The Warriors have been playing lights out basketball cruising past a solid Charlotte followed by obliterating the New Orleans Pelicans.

In tonights game the Rockets will be counting on Jae’Sean Tate and Daniel Theis. Alperen Sengun is also a threat off the bench. The Warriors will continue to try and handle the turnovers and continue with the solid offensive and defensive effort they have been show-casing all season; an effort that has them at the top of the Western Conference.

The Rockets came out strong in the first quarter playing the Warriors very close. As the game wore on it became apparent that Houston was playing very well, and the Warriors would have to bring their A-game for this one. Of course as has been the case all season, Golden State brings their best stuff in the second half. That’s when they close out these games, in some cases they are blow outs. After the first quarter the score was 37-32 in favor of the Warriors.

At the half the Warriors had extended their lead 69-61. The consistency from Golden State was wearing the Rockets down. Houston came out strong but they would have to continue a high level of play in the second half if they would have any chance at all. The third and fourth quarters are when Golden State is the most dangerous.

As expected the Warriors came unglued in the third quarter extending their lead to 103-83. The Warriors lived up to all expectations in the second half and then some. Golden State closed out this game 120-107 although Houston made a weak bid to make this a close game at the end of the fourth quarter.

The Warriors had five players in double figures with Jordan Poole leading the starters with 25 points. Off the bench Gary Payton II had double digits but it was Otto Porter Jrs. who had the high with 15 points. This win sent the Warriors to an 8-1 record leading the pack in the Western Conference. The Warriors did what they needed to do to win this game. They stopped the fouls that they were committing in the first half. They went on to stick to their formula because it is working to perfection.

Tomorrow, Monday evening the Warriors will face the Atlanta Hawks. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

The Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30) is jubilant after scoring a three point shot against the Houston Rockets Armoni Brooks (7) during Sat May 1, 2021 game in Houston (Houston Chronicle photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors (32-32) faced the downtrodden Houston Rockets (16-48) at the Toyota Center in Houston Saturday night. The Rockets, without their star John Wall, beat the Milwaukee Bucks Thursday night behind Kevin Porter’s outstanding performance. Porter, who is 20-years-old knocked down 50 points, leading Houston to victory. The Rockets’ management discharged their head coach, Muke D’Antoni, at the end of last season. The Rockets traded Russell Westbrook to the Washinton Wizards, and James Harden went to the Brooklyn Nets.

The Rockets have struggled all season long, and it appears they will be one of the three teams with the worst record in the NBA. Having lost two in a row, the Warriors needed to take advantage of the Rockets to stay in the race for a ninth or tenth spot in the Western Conference standings. Things didn’t go well in the first half of the game. The Rockets found a way to contain Stephen Curry. The Warriors got their act together in the third quarter and were able to win easily 113-87.

The Warriors’ offense in the first two quarters left a lot to the imagination. Curry made two threes in ten tries. The Rockets held him to seven points. The Rockets finished the first quarter with a two-point lead 24-22. The Rockets went on a 9-3 run to start the second quarter to lead 33-25. Curry returned with about six minutes left in the period. Houston kept answering every Warrior basket. The Rockets led at halftime 55-49.

The third quarter was a different story. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr must have read the riot act to his team during the halftime break. They did not play well against the Dallas Mavericks, and they folded against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter Thursday night.

They could not afford to lose to Houston. Kerr’s words must have resonated with the Warriors as they came out smoking to start the third quarter. Golden State went on a 28-4 run to start play in the period. At one point, they scored 24 unanswered points. Curry was on fire. He scored 23 points in his 12 minutes on the floor. He connected on five threes in seven tries. The Warriors outscored the Rockets 39-12 in the quarter to lead 87-67.

The Warriors had Curry and Draymond Green on the bench for the entire fourth quarter. Andrew Wiggins, Mychal Mulder, and Jordan Poole provided the offense as the Warriors cruised to victory 113-87

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors are 32-32 for the year. They have two more road games left for the year. They will play both against the New Orleans Pelicans. They lead the Pelicans by 3 1/2 games for the final playoff spot. The first game with New Orleans will be Monday night. The Warriors play the last six games of the season at the Chase Center.

The Warriors used eight players again for the second game in a row. Kelly Oubre, Jr. was out with a wrist problem. Damion Lee is still on Covid-19 protocol, and Eric Paschall missed another game due to a hip flexor. Paschall is improving and will be back soon, possibly next week.

Curry had another 30-point game. He had 30 points, six rebounds, and five assists. He was nine-for-23 from the floor and 7-fo-17 from downtown. Andrew Wiggins continued his excellent play on both ends of the court. Wiggins poured in 20 points.

He pulled down two rebounds and had two assists. Mychal Mulder and Jordan Poole each had 17 points. Mulder connected on five threes. Draymond Green nearly had a triple-double. Green scored nine points, pulled down 11 rebounds, and recorded eight assists.

As a team, the Warriors shot 46% from the floor. They made 18 threes in 46 attempts. They moved the ball well, especially in the second half, with 32 assists on 39 made field goals. They had ten steals and eight blocks on defense. They forced 18 Rockets turnover that resulted in 20 points for the Warriors.

The Warriors meet the Pelicans in New Orleans Monday Night. The game will start at 4:30 pm. 

Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30) and Draymond Green (23) share congratulations following their win over the Houston Rockets on Sat Apr 10, 2021 at the Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)

What a difererence a day makes. The Golden State Warriors rebounded from a loss Friday night to the Washington Wizards to down the Houston Rockets Saturday night at the Chase Center. The Rockets, coached by Stephen Silas, are not the team that the Warriors faced from 2015 to 2019.

The Rockets’ former head coach Mike D’Antoni is now an assistant with the Brooklyn Nets. Russell Westbrook in a Washington Wizard. Clint Capela is with the Atlanta Hawks, and James Harden is a Brooklyn Net. The Rockets’ best player is John Wall. Wall did not play for two years due to injury.

He requested a trade, and the Wizards sent him to Houston. The Rockets entered the game with a record of 14-38. The Warriors added to their woes by beating them 125-109.

The Warriors did not have Kelly Oubre in the lineup Saturday night. Oubre was complaining of soreness in his wrist, and coach Steve Kerr gave him the night off. Kent Bazemore took his place in the lineup. The Warriors and the Rockets played an entertaining and competitive first quarter.

The Warriors led for most of the quarter. Rookie James Wiseman knocked down six points in the first few minutes of the game. The Warriors led by eight 32-24, but The Rockets were able to get to within two as they scored the last six points of the period to trail 32-30 after the first 12 minutes of action.

The Warriors owned the second quarter. Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole led the team on a 13-2 run to give the W’s the advantage, 47-34. The Warriors played well on defense, too. They won the quarter 33-18 to finish the first half with a 17-point lead 65-48. Andrew Wiggins had 19, Jordan Poole, 14, and Curry, 10. 

The Rockets had to play at their best to close the gap in the third and fourth quarters. They did outscore the Dubs 33-29 in the third. Curry tallied 23 of the Warriors 29 points in the third quarter. The Warriors led 94-80 heading into the final stanza.

Curry was not on the floor to start the fourth quarter. The second unit of Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney, Michael Mulder, and Damion Lee kept the Rockets from cutting into the Warrior lead. The Warriors led 111-98 with 5:54 left in the game.

Steve Kerr put Curry back on the floor to finish the game. Michael Mulder and Juan Toscano-Anderson were also in the lineup. The Rockets’ John Wall heated up in the second half. Wall scored 20 points in the second half, and with D.J.Augustin, they closed the gap to 116-107 with 2:40 left. Curry and Toscano-Anderson made baskets in the final two minutes to give Golden State the win 125-109.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors are now 25-28 for the year. The Rockets are 14-39. 

Curry scored 30 or more points in a game for the sixth straight time. The last Warrior to accomplish that feat was Rick Barry. Curry has connected on 214 threes this season. He passed Sacramento’s Buddy Hield to lead the NBA in that department. Curry has scored 17,765 points in his career with the Warriors. He needs 18 points to tie the late Wilt Chamberlain for the Warriors all-time scoring record.

Curry finished Saturday night’s game with 38 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. He was 13-for-21 from the floor and connected on eight three in 15 attempts from downtown. Andrew Wiggins was second in scoring with 25. Jordan Poole, coming off the bench, had quite a night with 21 points and three threes. Mychal Mulder had 10, Kent Bazemore 9. Draymond Green’s line was two points, seven boards, and seven assists.

The Warriors shot 54 % from the floor. They made 14 threes in 35 attempts. The Warriors recorded 31 assists on 49 made field goals. The Warriors’ defense recorded 13 steals, five blocked shots, and they forced 18 Houston turnover that resulted in the Warriors putting 23 points on the board. The Warriors tallied 28 fast break points.

The Warriors’ big rookie center, James Wiseman, fell hard to the floor in the second quarter and injured his knee. he left the game and did not return. He will undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury.

John Wall led the Rockets with 30 points. He was 11-for 19 from the floor, and he tallied five threes in seven tries. D.J. Augustin, coming off the bench, poured in 19 points. Kelly Olynyk had a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Big Christian Wood licked in with 18. 

The Warriors host the Denver Nuggets at the Chase Center Monday night. The game will start at 7 pm.