Defeating the Houston Rockets by a score of 106-95 on Sunday night was the Golden State Warriors. The young season has seen the Dubs go 2-1, with both victories coming on the road.
Chris Paul made his NBA debut as a reserve after Warriors forward Draymond Green returned to the starting lineup. The starting five had found a consistent rhythm with CP3 out of the lineup, but Green’s rustiness was noticeable in his first official game action since last season. The Warrior starting lineup will need to include Green.
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The Warriors’ slow start limited the Rockets’ lead to six points. In addition, the Rockets’ extremely youthful bench unit easily outplayed Paul. The second unit of Paul, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Dario ari, and Gary Payton II led Golden State to a 27-8 run at the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second quarter, giving the Warriors their highest lead of the game at 16 points.
Payton’s offensive output stood out, as he scored 13 of his 15 points before halftime. He shot 6-8 overall for the game, including 3-4 from beyond the arc. Payton’s effective offensive and defensive play resulted in a game-high plus-minus of +13.
The Warriors’ starting lineup was unable to extend their advantage over the Rockets’ bench and instead started giving the ball back to Houston right away. There was no standout performance by any one Rockets player. Houston’s starting five all score in double figures, though. Fred Van Vleet, the Rockets’ point guard, was the only starter not to score in double figures. The game’s outcome would have been different if Van Vleet had scored from deep.
Over the remainder of the third quarter, the Rockets chipped away at the Warriors’ lead, eventually tying the game and briefly gaining the lead midway through the fourth. The game had been quite quiet up until Steph Curry took over. On four straight possessions for the Dubs, Curry iced the game with a three-pointer. He shot 6 for 15 from the field and finished with 22 points, five boards, and six dimes.
Klay Thompson scored 19 points on just 12 attempts from the field (5-for-10 from deep) in his second consecutive efficient game.
