Glitter missing from Warriors-Rockets matchup
Attrition has stripped the luster from what annually qualified as one of the marquee matchups in the NBA: Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets.
Wednesday night at Toyota Center in Houston, the first meeting of the season between these Western Conference heavyweights will offer something different for both teams.
For the host Rockets, the injury-ravaged Warriors will present another opportunity to improve their ineffective defense. Houston took a small step toward recovery on Monday in Memphis, outlasting the short-handed Grizzlies 107-100 behind a 44-point, 10-rebound effort from James Harden. Houston did so without Russell Westbrook, who missed his first game of the season.
The Grizzlies were without second-year forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (right knee), so the Rockets weren't fully tested defensively. Still, Houston entered Monday last in the league in points allowed per game -- the club is now next-to-last at 123.1 -- and their execution offered a glimpse of the potential for defensive improvement.
"I think our effort was a lot better," Harden said. "We've just got to continue to build on that. Also, our execution was a little bit better. Just continue to build and take the right steps that we need.
"When you bring energy to the game, good things happen for you and for our team. If you don't bring energy and you're not active, good things won't happen. That's what happened last game (a 29-point loss against the Miami Heat on Sunday night). (This) was the opposite. We're not worried about making or missing shots -- that's going to come. It's our effort."
As much as the setback in Miami represented an early-season low point for the Rockets, the victory at Memphis presented the clearest example of how quickly poor efforts can be flushed.
"That's a good thing about this league," Harden said. "You've got 82 games. So you have a bad one like we did (in Miami), terrible, we bounced back and we did a lot better. Now we go home."
Golden State experienced a similar rebound on Monday, shocking the Portland Trail Blazers 127-118 at Chase Center.
The Warriors' injury concerns are extreme, with all five projected starters not only sidelined against Portland but perhaps the foreseeable future: Stephen Curry (hand), Klay Thompson (knee), Draymond Green (finger), D'Angelo Russell (ankle) and Kevon Looney (neuropathy). What the Warriors featured on Monday was an inexperienced, scrappy bunch that was previously overmatched yet suddenly rose to the occasion in surprising fashion.
"We did a hell of a job just staying together, getting better every day," said Warriors rookie forward Eric Paschall, who paired season bests of 34 points with 13 rebounds in the win. "To beat a team like that with the group we have, we just kept fighting. To do this right now is special; we've got so many guys hurt."
The Warriors are likely to field a similar lineup against the Rockets, one that included fellow rookies Ky Bowman and Jordan Poole. But in short order, Golden State has displayed growth, and the Rockets represent another shot for the Warriors to showcase how quickly they've jelled.
"We've got a group of young guys that don't get this opportunity (to) come out here playing 40 minutes and just come out here and ball," Paschall said. "We're just doing a great job of staying together, keeping a positive attitude."
--Field Level Media
