Game Preview: Houston Rockets vs Golden State Warriors

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After defeating the Milwaukee Bucks and moving to 33-12, the Houston Rockets prepare to take on the title favorite, Golden State Warriors. The Rockets are led in scoring, assists and rebounds by MVP candidate James Harden, at 28.9 points, 11.6 assists, and  8.3 rebounds a game. The Rockets are ranked 3rd in offensive rating, 15th in defensive rating, and 4th in net rating.

The Warriors make their first trip to Houston sitting atop the conference, and the NBA, at 36-6, and are on pace for an absurd, second straight, 70 win season. The Warriors are led in scoring by Kevin Durant, at 26.2 points, and in assists and rebounds by Draymond Green, at 7.7 assists and 8.7 rebounds per game. The Warriors rank 1st in offensive rating, both this year and ALL TIME, 1st in defensive rating, and 1st in net rating, by far.

Starting Lineups

After missing two straight games with the flu, Ryan Anderson status for Friday is still up in the air. The Rockets will likely start James Harden at point guard, Patrick Beverley at shooting guard, Trevor Ariza at small forward, Ryan Anderson at power forward, and Clint Capela at center, with Eric Gordon getting starter’s minutes and Corey Brewer (sigh) probably starting if Ryan is still too sick.

The Warriors will likely be missing a huge piece of their bench, with David West nursing an injured thumb. The Warriors' starting five will likely be Steph Curry at point guard, Klay Thompson at shooting guard, Kevin Durant at small forward, Draymond Green at power forward, and almost one-time all-star, Zaza Pachulia at center.

Three Things to Watch

• Beat the Best to be the Best – The Rockets were able to shock the Warriors at home, in a stressful game in December, but now the Warriors have really found their stride, ranking 1st in offensive and defensive rating. Watch to see if the Rockets can pull of another victory, solidifying their claim as a contender.
  


• All-Star Starters – Right after the starters for the 2017 all-star game where announced, the Western Conferences starting backcourt mates face off, in Harden and Curry. Watch to see who is able to outplay the other in the national spotlight Friday night.


• Attack the Boards – A major key to the Rockets victory in Oakland was their ability to punish the Warriors on the offensive glass, pulling in 15 offensive rebounds, and the Warriors are still struggling on the glass, ranking 18th in defensive rebounding percent, to the Rockets 9th in offensive rebounding percent. Watch to see if the Rockets are able to once again take advantage of the Warriors rebounding woes.

Prediction and Tip-Off

The Rockets will play hard, and give the Warriors a tough time on Friday, but the Rockets are unlikely to pull out another victory over such a dominant team, and will probably fall to 33-13.

Tip-off will be at 7:00 P.M. Central Time in Houston on Friday, January 20th. The game will be televised on ESPN, with the radio broadcast on Sports Talk 790-AM.

Game Preview: Houston Rockets vs Golden State Warriors

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After a crushing loss to the Utah Jazz, the Rockets continue their road trip, this time in Oakland. The Rockets are lead in both scoring and assists by James Harden (28.7 points and 11.9 assists per game), and in rebounding by Clint Capela, who pulls in 8.6 rebounds a game. The Rockets rank 4th in offensive rating, 26th in defense, continuing their defensive free fall, and 10th in net rating.

After looking like they might struggle to come together to start the season, the Golden State Warriors have become the ridiculous offense everyone thought they would be. The Warriors currently sit at 16-2, sitting on top of the Western Conference. The Warriors are lead in points by Kevin Durant, who averages 27.1 points per game, and in rebounds and assists by Draymond Green, who averages 8.6 rebounds a game to go with his 6.9 assists. The Warriors rank 1st in offensive rating, 6th in defensive rating, and 1st, by far, in net rating.

Starting Lineups

The Rockets are likely to continue to start with James Harden at point guard, Patrick Beverley at shooting guard, Trevor Ariza at small forward, Ryan Anderson at power forward, and Clint Capela at center, with Eric Gordon getting starter’s minutes.

After winning the 2016 off-season by signing their starting small forward, Kevin Durant, the Warriors have been dominating the league. The Warriors are likely to start Steph Curry at point guard, Klay Thompson at shooting guard, Kevin Durant at small forward, Draymond Green at power forward, and Zaza Pachulia at center.

Three Things to Watch

• How do they match up- So far in the young season, the Warriors have the highest offensive rating OF ALL TIME, edging out the showtime Lakers. Watch to see how the Rockets fair against a historically dominant offense and team.
  


• A weakness?- There is one thing that the Warriors have struggles with this season, and it is keeping teams off of the offensive glass, coming in at 27th in the league at defensive rebounding percentage. Watch to see if the rockets are able to take advantage of what appears to be the Warriors only weakness.


• Where is the Defense?- After being out of the bottom 10 in defense, seemingly yesterday, the Rockets now find themselves in the bottom five, after some rough defensive games against the Raptors, Trail Blazers, and Jazz. Watch to see if the Rockets are able to stop this free fall, or at least start to slow it down.
  

Prediction and Tip-Off

This won't be pretty.

The Warriors are an all time great team, and the league may have never seen such a high level of talent all together in one place. I predict a lot of 4th quarter playing time for Bobby Brown on Thursday, and not because the Rockets are winning.

Tip-off will be at 9:30 P.M. Central Time at Oracle Arena in Oakland on Thursday, December 1st. The game will be televised on TNT (be prepared to mute Charles Barkley), with the radio broadcast on Sports Talk 790-AM.

Should the Warriors trade Klay Thompson?

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It's no secret that there were questions coming into the 2016-17 season which of the Golden State Warrior players would have the hardest time adjusting. On the one hand, Kevin Durant was joining a new system after being the focal point of an offense in Oklahoma City. Then you have Steph, who was used to being the magician in Oakland, throwing crossovers, 35-foot three point shots, and acrobatic finishes at the rim that left you in awe. Of little question was Draymond Green, often noted as a system player and though he's far from that, his game is very adaptable.

But what about Klay Thompson, who took the second-most shots on the team in 2015-16? An obvious 3-point threat, Klay was often the recipient of the ball in Golden State's pass-friendly offense. He lit the bottom of the net on fire on a nightly basis, shooting 42% from three, and 51% inside the arc. He played solid defense. He was a key contributor to that team's success, and yet, he has struggled the most to adjust to the addition of Kevin Durant.

Shooting an abysmal 19% on three point shots on the second-most attempts per game of his career, Thompson has found no success in the early going. Beyond that, he has looked out of sync with the offense. In this clip here, Klay is denied twice and looks completely dejected.

 

Klay Thompson had three shot attempts blocked in a five second span earlier in the first half #GSWatPOR https://t.co/M8kE45kVaM

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) November 2, 2016

In that game, Thompson shot 6-of-17 overall, and 0-of-7 from beyond the arc, yet the Warriors won by 23 points. Beyond that game, Klay has looked uncomfortable and is sticking out like a sore thumb in an offense that normally flows like the Grand Rapids. In last night's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Klay had one of his better games on the season, but what the box score doesn't tell you is that he was playing in garbage time against the end of OKC's bench. When Klay was in the game with the starters, he had several plays where it was evident he was not on the same page with his teammates. A lot of his production came when the Warriors were already up by 20 points. Ian Clark has also become a staple for the team, and he plays a hybrid role between point and shooting guard. Clark is currently shooting 41% from three and his per-36 scoring is equivalent to Thompson's thus far.

It sounds ludicrous, but think about it; the Warriors have enough offensive power to go around on the perimeter, but lack a presence inside. Could they send Klay Thompson to the Sacramento Kings for DeMarcus Cousins? More importantly, should they?

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The contracts certainly line up enough to do so, and Sacramento is unlikely to retain Cousins when he becomes a free agent after next year. Klay Thompson is still an elite shooter, a good defender, and a team-first player. Sacramento could start building around Thompson, Golden State could get the interior help they currently lack.

The Warriors lost a significant rim protector in Andrew Bogut, and Zaza Pachulia is currently averaging 0.6 blocks per game. While Cousins isn't an elite rim protector, he does have seasons of 1.7 and 1.4 blocks per game. The real benefit, though, would be the massive upgrade on offense. Pachulia is currently averaging 6 points and 8 rebounds per game, where Cousins is averaging 27.8 and 9.2. Pachulia hasn't attempted a 3-point shot this season, and Cousins is a career 29% 3-point shooter.

It certainly seems as though the Warriors would be hard-pressed not to complete that sort of trade...

EXCEEEEPT, there's actually a lot of reason to be optimistic about Klay turning things around. He's currently shooting a career high 60% on 2-point field goals, 91% on free throw attempts, and the defense is still there. Klay is a few hot streaks away from joining the coveted 50/40/90 club. Only 7 players in NBA history have been part of that club while averaging 15 or more points per game.

The Warriors would also be giving up some of their offensive versatility if they brought a score-first center like Cousins in. Right now, they have wings that are capable of playing the 2, 3, and occasionally 4, along with Draymond Green being the perfect "stretch-5" for Golden State. Losing Klay would mean more minutes being allocated to Clark, Livingston, Iguodala, and though those players are perfectly capable, they don't bring the two-way versatility that Thompson does.

The right approach for the Warriors, and the one they will likely take, is to wait and see. If Klay is still struggling near the trade deadline, it's possible that he gets moved. But given his track record as a steady character, it seems certain that his performance will be a distant memory come playoff time. The Warriors are a team built on chemistry, shooting, and camaraderie. Klay is an important part of that organization and brings all three of those elements along with him.