Rockets at Warriors
The Golden State Warriors tend to respond to losses with a renewed focus, something the Houston Rockets were made aware of over the weekend. The Rockets will try to deliver some payback for that 25-point home loss on Saturday when they visit the Warriors on Wednesday. Golden State fell at Oklahoma City on Friday before bouncing back against Houston and followed that up with a 43-point demolition of the Denver Nuggets on Monday.
The Warriors won their 16th straight home game in the 122-79 triumph over Denver, setting a franchise record since the team moved out to the West Coast and matching the best mark last accomplished by the 1959 Philadelphia Warriors. Houston followed up its 131-106 loss to Golden State with a much better effort on the defensive end during a 110-98 triumph over Indiana on Monday. Rockets star guard James Harden, who was badgered into 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting against the Warriors, posted a season-high 45 points against the Pacers on 12-of-18.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, ROOT Southwest (Houston), CSN Bay Area (Golden State)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (29-13): Houston hung around for the first half on Saturday before getting outscored 38-21 in the third quarter and letting the game slip away. The Rockets made the third quarter their own on Monday, getting 18 points from Harden in the period and outscoring the Pacers 34-23 to spread out a 10-point halftime lead. “I thought we started out with great effort,” Houston coach Kevin McHale told reporters. “…Overall I thought our start was really good. We held them to a 45-point half. I thought there was a lot of good stuff tonight, and stuff to build on."
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (33-6): Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry scored 27 points apiece in Houston and were the leaders again with 22 and 20, respectively, against Denver, though neither saw the floor much in the second half. Golden State has spent the season setting records and became the only NBA team with multiple 40-point wins on the season while also getting 13 players double-digit minutes for the first time in franchise history on Monday. “Our defense was as good as it has been all year, and that was regardless of whether it was the starters or the second unit,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Warriors’ preferred starting lineup of Curry, Thompson, Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut is 22-1 with 17 straight wins.
2. Rockets F Donatas Motiejunas has scored in double figures in 12 straight games.
3. Thompson has hit multiple 3-pointers in a personal-best and NBA season-high 18 straight games.