Rockets can’t match Warriors
Preview of coming attractions in the wild West
Even without the two headliners, the Rockets and Golden State Warriors put on a show Thursday night at Toyota Center.
No James Harden. No Kevin Durant. No problem.
The two best teams in the Western Conference met for the second time this season.
The matchup was down a couple of superstars, but both teams showed why they could meet again deep in the postseason. The game might have been on a weeknight in early January, but it had the feel of the playoffs.
From the back-and-forth scoring, the intense hustle plays — including the one where Trevor Ariza and Stephen Curry dove into the stands and landed on R&B singer Usher, who was taking in the game from courtside — Toyota Center was as filled with energy as it’s been all season.
The game went the wrong way for the Rockets — they lost 124-114 — but it showed they have the pieces to compete against the team that has owned the Western Conference in recent memory.
The teams are 1-1 this season and meet one more time, with the Warriors back in Houston on Jan. 20.
The Rockets will have to do a lot of things better if they want to get another win over Golden State this season.
They showed glimpses of their capabilities but lacked the consistency needed to win.
Still, it’s easy to look at the game and think of the possibilities. A healthy Luc Mbah a Moute to contribute on defense. Harden back on the court. More than 17 of 50 3-pointers falling. It could have been a different game.
When general manager Daryl Morey was adding pieces to the Rockets during free agency, the Warriors were the team he wanted to catch.
“It’s a daunting challenge we face, chasing the trophy with Golden State,” Morey said. “But I’m very excited to take on the challenge. I love that we have such a strong group signed for a long time and coach (Mike) D’Antoni and James Harden, and across our roster we have guys signed into the future that we think can really improve and help us chase that championship trophy.”
If it wasn’t clear how those additions would help during the first couple of months — including during a 14-game win streak through much of November and December — it was Thursday in a packed Toyota Center.
Last season, if the Rockets hadn’t had Harden when they faced the Warriors, the games would have been instant losses. Lopsided ones. He had a triple-double in one matchup with them and double-doubles in the other three. The Rockets went 1-3.
Rockets bring depth
This year, the team is built to withstand the absence of Harden. From having Chris Paul, who makes running an offense look easy, to the newest pickup Gerald Green, who brings energy every time he touches the court, the Rockets have more.
Clint Capela showed improvement, and Eric Gordon led the Rockets with 30 points to help fill the void on offense Harden leaves while he nurses a hamstring strain for the next few weeks.
There were highlights, but the Rockets’ performance was far from good enough. The Rockets live and die by the 3-pointer, and Thursday night, it killed them. They were 17of-50 from beyond the arc. Those numbers won’t cut it in the postseason.
They need to get back on track defensively and get stops. And they need to be consistent with their strengths every night.
But now, at least the Rockets have strengths.
They’ve have had ups and downs this year. They’ve seen the magic the Harden-Paul mix can create and have also had to go through too many games where one was hurt while the other sat watching from the bench.
A season of streaks
They strung together a 14-game win streak, only to follow it with a fivegame losing streak.
They saw a rise in defensive production, then saw it drop off — largely due to the absence of Mbah a Moute, still out with a shoulder injury.
But even during their rough patches, the Rockets looked like a team that is going places.
Thursday’s matchup ended in a loss, but it was a close, intriguing game that gave a glimpse of a possible playoff matchup that could go a different way than it has the last two times.
“When it’s all said and done, we will have enough,” D’Antoni said. “We have a lot of talented players. Now we have to put everything together.”
The Warriors are the standard and reminded the Rockets of that. It also showed the Rockets how close they are to that.
“They’re the champs,” D’Antoni said. “They’ve been together several years and it shows. We’ve been together three months.
“We have a few months left to do it. But I think we have a lot to work with to become champs.”