Warriors beat Rockets for season’s biggest win
Golden State posts biggest victory of season led by guards Lee, Russell
SAN FRANCISCO >> Draymond Green hit a 3-pointer from his mark in the corner and ran to the sideline, jumping into Steph Curry in celebration while the Chase Center crowd erupted, as the Golden State Warriors took a six-point lead over the Houston Rockets late in what would become their biggest win of the season.
The Warriors (8-24) defeated the Rockets 116-104 on Wednesday at Chase Center and celebrated on the NBA’s nationally-televised Christmas Day stage. Though Green hit a timely 3-pointer and Curry and Klay Thompson cheered from the bench, it was Golden State’s newcomers and defense of Rockets guard James Harden that helped them earn their third straight win.
“It’s great. It’s been a very trying season for us,” Green said. “It’s a lot of these guys’ first time playing on Christmas. That’s a huge stage, and to come out and execute like we did and to actually get a win like we did against a very good team, it definitely feels good.”
Warriors guards Damion Lee
(22) and D’Angelo Russell (20) combined to score 42 points while Houston’s backcourt of Harden and Russell Westbrook were held to an inefficient 54 points on 40% shooting.
The Warriors’ defensive strategy of doubling Harden and forcing him to his right made the NBA’s scoring leader (38.6 points per game this season) uncomfortable. With Harden limited, the Rockets’ offense struggled and was held to 37% shooting for the game.
It was the most impressive defensive performance of the season for the Warriors, who executed a complex game plan to send their rivals back to Houston with a loss.
“We’re probably not going to play a bigger game than this all year, on Christmas, on national TV and against the Rockets,” coach Steve Kerr said. “This game meant a lot to us and you can see it in the way our players approached it.”
Lee had 22 points on 5-for-9 shooting (2-for-2 from 3-point range, 10-for10 from the free throw line) and 15 rebounds. Glenn Robinson III scored 18 points on 6-for-13 shooting while spending most of the game guarding Harden. Green finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and three assists.
Green is learning to appreciate these wins more during a losing season, and he seemed to especially relish Wednesday’s over the Rockets in front of Chase Center’s Christmas Day crowd. Over the years, the Warriors and Rockets have developed a rivalry, with Golden State eliminating Houston in four of the past five postseasons.
The Rockets (21-10) walked into Chase Center undoubtedly expecting a win over a makeshift Warriors team with one of the league’s worst records.
Instead, the Warriors frustrated Harden, found their rhythm offensively and got major contributions from their newcomers as the incumbent Warriors cheered along with a merry home crowd.
1. THE DEFENSIVE GAME PLAN >> The NBA has been trying to figure out novel and effective ways to guard Harden for a couple of years now. One of the most dramatic, early examples of this was last season, when the Milwaukee Bucks had guard Eric Bledsoe defend Harden from behind in order to counter his step-back jumper.
Others have tinkered with different strategies. Kerr recently watched the Kings use a box-and-one, similar to what the Raptors showed Curry in last season’s Finals. “James has basically forced the whole league to reconsider how to defend him,” Kerr said.
So what did the Warriors do? Kerr and assistant coach Jarron Collins devised their most complex defensive game plan of the season. They trapped, sending a double team to his left to force Harden, a lefty, to pass with his right hand.
It’s not an uncommon strategy around the league, but it’s a high-wire act. If done wrong, it unlocks wide-open shots for Harden’s teammates. Outside of Harden’s secondquarter surge (16 points on 6-for-7 shooting and four 3-pointers), the Warriors’ execution was near perfect.
The Rockets countered in the second half by setting a screen for Harden at half court.