The Rockets entered this game riding a 17 game losing streak and hoping to snap it. The Rockets were also coming off of the first game of a back-to-back. The Warriors went into this game coming off of a rough loss to the Lakers. The Rockets had 8 players out in this game including John Wall and Victor Oladipo. The Warriors also had a couple of players out in this game in James Wiseman and Eric Pachall. Wiseman and Paschall weren’t out due to injury though they were out due to the NBA’s Covid-19 protocols. The Warriors and Rockets have a rivalry between them from the years of James Harden during the Warriors’ dynasty. That rivalry is now much less imminent because the Rockets and the Warriors both look very different than when this rivalry was at its peak. This game happened on Saint Patrick’s Day so both teams definitely hoped to get the win and be able to celebrate the holiday well. As you probably know green is the main color of Saint Patrick’s Day is green and while we’re on the topic of green Draymond Green entered this game 4 assists away from passing Chris Mullin on the Warriors’ all time assist list. If the Rockets wanted to snap their 17 game losing streak they would likely need to defend Stephen Curry well, shoot well, force turnovers, and Christian Wood would need to play a stellar game. For the Warriors to win they needed to rebound well, limit turnovers and fouls, and defend Christian Wood well. Would the Warriors be able to take home the win on Saint Patrick’s day or would the Rockets be able to snap their 17 game losing streak? To the game!
Christian Wood won the tip which led to an Andrew Wiggins layup after a Stephen Curry steal. At 11:22 Kelly Oubre Jr. completed a 3 point play to give the Warriors a 5 point lead. At 10:34 Christian Wood made 2 of 3 free throws to give the Rockets their first points of the quarter and make it a 3 point game. At 10:22 and 10:13 Kelly Oubre Jr. made a 3 and Daniel House Jr. made a 3 to bring the Warriors’ lead up to 6 and back down to 3. Then at 10:03 Stephen Curry made a layup to give the Warriors a 5 point lead. At 9:57 Sterling Brown slammed home an alley oop dunk to remake it a 3 point game. At 9:45 Kevon Looney made a 3 to give the Warriors a 6 point lead. At 9:22 Daniel House Jr. made 1 of 2 free throws to make it a 5 point game for the Rockets. Then at 8:08 Wood made a layup to give the Rockets the lead. At 7:30 Stephen Curry made a 3 to retake the lead for the Warriors. On that play Draymond Green got his 4th assist of the game and his 3,147th of his career to pass Chris Mullin on the Warriors all time assist list. At 5:52 Kevin Porter Jr. made a 3 to give the Rockets the lead. At 4:12 Andrew Wiggins slammed home a lob to take the lead back for the Warriors. At 3:21 Stephen Curry made a reverse layup to give the Warriors a 6 point lead. With 53.5 seconds left in the quarter Jae’Sean Tate made a layup to make it a 4 point game. Stephen Curry then made a floater to end the quarter. The Warriors were leading 31-27 at the end of the first quarter. Both teams played pretty well in the first quarter and the Warriors were led by Stephen Curry with 11 points and the Rockets Kevin Porter Jr. with 9 points. The Warriors had 3 more assists, 4 more rebounds, 1 more steal, 1 more turnover, and 1 more foul than the Rockets in the first quarter. The Warriors and Rockets each ended up with 1 block in the first quarter. The Warriors shot well in the first quarter too with 54.5% from the field and 36.4% from 3. The Rockets shot a bit worse with 45% from the field and 30% from deep. This was a close game entering the second quarter and both teams hoped to take a nice lead by halftime.
To start the second quarter Jordan Poole made a 3 that gave the Warriors a 7 point lead. At 9:36 Kenyon Martin Jr. made a layup to give the Rockets their first points of the quarter and make it a 5 point game. At 9:09 Jordan Poole made a 3 to give the Warriors an 8 point lead. At 8:51 Kenyon Martin Jr. made a 3 of his own to make it a 5 point game once again. Then at 8:05 Kelly Oubre Jr. made a layup to give the Warriors a 7 point lead. At 5:38 Draymond Green made a layup on a fast break to give the Warriors an 11 point lead. At 5:13 Wood made a floater to make it a 9 point game. At 4:38 Andrew Wiggins made a 3 to give the Warriors a 12 point lead. At 4:10 Jordan Poole made a 3 to give the Warriors a 15 point lead. At 2:13 Jordan Poole got a 3 point play to give the Warriors a 21 point lead. With 21.9 seconds left in the half Draymond Green made a putback tip in shot to give the Warriors the final points of the half. At halftime the Warriors where leading 68-44. The Warriors played well in the first half and were able to take their 24 point lead lead with the help of a 14-2 run in the middle of the second quarter. Andrew Wiggins led the Warriors with 15 points, 2 rebounds, and a steal in the first quarter. Jordan Poole also played well off the bench with 15 points, a rebound, an assist, and a steal. Draymond Green played well to with 9 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and a block. Kevin Porter Jr. ended up with 13 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal to lead the Rockets. Christian Wood was a highlight for the Rockets as well with 9 points and 2 rebounds. Lastly, Kenyon Martin Jr. had 7 points and a rebound for the Rockets. The Warriors had 10 more assists, 8 more rebounds, 2 more steals, 1 more block, 4 fewer turnovers, and 1 more foul than the Rockets in the first half. The Warriors also shot well in the first half with 54.3% from the field and 44% from deep. The Rockets shot a bit worse 38.5% from the field and 37.5% from 3. The Warriors hoped to seal the game in the 3rd quarter and the Rockets hoped to make it close and give themselves a shot in the 4th quarter. To the third!
To start the 3rd quarter Kelly Oubre Jr. made a dunk that gave the Warriors a 26 point lead. At 11:22 Kevin Porter Jr. made a floater to give the Rockets their first points of the quarter and to make it a 24 point game. At 10:25 Draymond Green made a layup to give the Warriors a 26 point lead. At 10:11 Daniel House Jr. made a 3 to make it a 23 point game. Then at 9:14 Christian Wood made 2 free throws to cut the deficit to 19 points for the Rockets. At the 9 minute mark Wiggins made a dunk to give the Warriors a 21 point lead once again. At 8:34 Wood made a turnaround fadeaway jumper to bring the Warriors’ lead back down to 19. At 6:51 Kevin Porter Jr. made a layup to make it a 15 point game. Then at 6:38 Draymond made a jumper to give the Warriors a 17 point lead. At 5:16 Stephen Curry made a layup to give the Warriors a 21 point lead. At the 5 minute mark Daniel House Jr. made a jumper to make it a 19 point game. At 3:51 Draymond Green secured a rebound to complete a triple double. At 3:40 Steph made a 3 to give the Warriors a 21 point lead. At 3:19 Anthony Lamb made 2 free throws to remake it a 19 point game for the Rockets. At 1:50 Kevin Porter Jr. made a floater to make it a 14 point game for the Rockets. At 1:33 Draymond made a 3 to give the Warriors a 17 point lead. With 27.9 seconds left in the quarter Mason Jones made 2 free throws to make it a 15 point game for the Rockets. Those ended being the final points of the quarter for either team. At the end of the third quarter the Warriors were leading 86-71. Stephen Curry tried to make a 3 to end the quarter but while shooting the 3 he lost his balance, fell backwards into the stands and landed on a metal step. Steph injured his tailbone when falling on the step and it was later revealed that he had gotten a tailbone contusion. Steph had led the Warriors with 18 points at this point and Kevin Porter Jr. was leading the Rockets with 20. After the 3rd quarter the Warriors had 9 more assists, 6 more rebounds, 1 fewer steal, 2 fewer turnovers, and 8 more fouls than the Rockets. The Warriors and Rockets each had 2 blocks to go along with the rest of the stats. The Warriors were also faring well on the shooting side of things with 47.8% from the field and 37.1% from downtown. The Rockets shot lesser with 40.4% from the field and 28.6% from 3. The Rockets went into the 4th quarter hoping to somehow get a comeback win and the Warriors went into the 4th quarter hoping to easily close out the game.
To start the 4th quarter Jordan Poole made a layup. At 11:18 Mason Jones made 1 of 2 free throws to give the Rockets their first points of the quarter. At 10:51 Kenyon Martin Jr. made a layup to make it a 14 point game. At 10:35 Kevon Looney made a layup to give the Warriors a 16 point lead. Then at 8:07 Jordan Poole made a 3 to give the Warriors a 20 point lead. At 7:45 Kelly Oubre Jr. got called for goaltending on an Anthony Lamb layup that made it an 18 point game. At 7:23 Nico Mannion made 2 free throws to give the Warriors a 20 point lead. At 7:08 Wood made a layup to make it an 18 point game. Then at 5:27 Damion Lee made a 3 to hoist the Warriors lead into the 20’s at 21. At 4:33 Kevin Porter Jr. made a layup to make it a 19 point game. At 3:38 Wood made a jumper to make it a 15 point game. At 2:53 Kelly Oubre Jr. made a jumper to give the Warriors a 17 point lead. Kenyon Martin made a dunk fir the final points of the game. The Warriors won 108-94.
Leo’s Courtside Commentary: This was a good game for the Warriors other than the fact that Stephen Curry injured himself. The Warriors won both of the first 2 quarters but lost both of the last 2 quarters. The Warriors played well and were led by Jordan Poole off the bench with 23 points, a rebound, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Draymond Green was also a highlight for the Warriors with a triple double of a season high 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. Stephen Curry played well too in his 3 quarters of action with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, and a steal. Kevin Porter Jr. led the Rockets with a nice 25 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals. Christian Wood also played well with 21 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block. The Warriors ended with 13 more assists, 1 more block, 4 fewer turnovers, and 11 more fouls than the Rockets. The Warriors and Rockets each had 48 rebounds and 7 steals too. The Warriors shot decently with 45.6% from the field, 35.6% from downtown, and 83.3% on free throws. The Rockets shot badly with 41.2% from the field, 25.9% from 3, and 52.5% from the free throw line. Overall, this was a much needed win for the Warriors and a great way to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day for the Warriors.
Out of LF 