In a packed schedule of 8 separate games, the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets met for a high-stakes Western Conference showdown. The Warriors, who were losers of five straight coming into the game, finally broke their streak thanks to good team play and standout performances from a few veteran stars.
Despite missing both Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, the Warriors got off to a solid start and went on to win the first half by 7 points (49-43). While the Rockets would go on to make several runs down the stretch, the Warriors managed to withstand them all to earn a narrow victory (99-93).
Tonight, it was the Jonathan Kuminga show in Golden State with 33 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists on 53.3% shooting. Andrew Wiggins chipped in with 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists on 8-15 shooting. Off the bench, Kyle Anderson contributed 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in 13:59 minutes of play.
For the Rockets, Alperen Sengun was their top scorer with 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists on 46.7% shooting and Dillon Brooks was second in scoring with 15 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal on 6-13 FG. Point guard Fred VanVleet dropped 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists on 5-15 FG while Jalen Green finished with 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists on 31.3% shooting.
For a Warriors team on the brink of collapse, this game was a good test for how they would respond under pressure without their two best players. Needless to say, the Warriors responded well tonight and there are a few things we could learn from their latest victory.
Frontcourt Duo Carried The Scoring Load
Nobody thought the Warriors would win this game against the 2nd seeded Rockets without Curry, much less without Curry and Draymond Green. Fortunately, other players stepped up to fill their shoes tonight and it’s the reason why they were able to escape with the win.
Jonathan Kuminga (30 points) and Andrew Wiggins (22 points) combined to score 52 points, which accounts for over half of the Warriors’ score tonight. Besides Brandin Podziemski, they got the most minutes out of any Warriors player.
While you can’t expect these types of games from the role-players every night, the NBA’s best teams usually have multiple players who can step up and give you 25 or 30 on any given night. Tonight, it just so happened to be enough against a Rockets squad that was struggling to find a rhythm all night.
Rockets Held To 37.6% Shooting
As the second-best team in the West coming into tonight’s matchup, the Rockets were favored to win and they had several chances tonight to take control and swing the game in their favor. Sadly, when it came time to hit shots, the Rockets were unable to deliver and put themselves in a position to win the game.
Specifically, the Warriors’ defense held the Rockets to 37.6% shooting and 26.3% shooting from three. They attacked Alperen Sengun all night in an attempt to throw him off and it worked to some degree given that his numbers in the game were well below his season averages.
The Warriors’ defense has been elite all season but it was nice to see it hold up even without Draymond. Thanks to good fundamentals and communication between the players (and defenders like Kevin Looney, Gary Payton II, and Jonathan Kuminga), the Warriors were able to get back on track and set things right against one of the hottest teams in the NBA.
Warriors Won the Rebound Battle
While only two Warriors players scored in double figures tonight, many players contributed in other ways –such as on the boards. The Warriors had two players over 10 rebounds, including Kevon Looney and shooting guard Brandin Podziemski with 11 apiece.
As a team, the Warriors grabbed 54 rebounds, 9 more than the Rockets, and it allowed them to capitalize on their frequent misses. Historically, while size and rebounding have been weak points for the Warriors, it seems that they’ve finally figured something out to unlock a whole new level of their game.
When Draymond and Steph return for the next contest, they can use some of the things they learned tonight to help bolster their frontlines and bring their defense up to their championship standards. At the very least, we know now that the Warriors can dominate the glass when they want to, and it’s going to take that and more for the Warriors to make any significant run in the West this season.
At 13-8, Golden State found out the hard way how quickly things can change, and they know how thin the margin for error has become. After an ugly 5 -game losing streak, the Warriors were facing a difficult task to win without their top players but the right guys stepped up when they needed to and led their team to the crucial victory.
Next up, the Warriors will face the Timberwolves tomorrow, at Chase Center, at 10:00 PM EST. On December 8th, the Warriors have a rematch against the Timberwolves at 8:30 PM EST before heading to Houston to face the Rockets at 9:30 PM EST at Toyota Center.
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