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Game 54: Houston Rockets At Golden State Warriors Preview

By Brian K. Patterson

Jan 21, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley (2) drives in against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley (2) drives in against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Houston Rockets will have their hands full tonight facing the league’s defending champs in what will likely be an exhibition of their talents.

The Rockets will likely drop their jaws at the deliberate precision the 46-4 Golden State Warriors run their offense.

Do they have a chance?

Absolutely!

Will they take advantage of it?

That remains to be seen.

So who’s leading the charge for the Warriors?

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Stephen Curry is the leading scorer (29.8 PPG) and is the steals king (2.20 SPG).  Draymond Green is the top board-getter (9.6 RPG) and assist man (7.4 APG). The top shot-blocker is Andrew Bogut (1.60 BPG).

Let’s talk about what the Warriors do well.

The question is — what DON’T they do well!

They’re offensively and defensively sound.  The Warriors are 1st in the league in offensive efficiency, averaging 113.2 points per 100 possessions.  They’re also ranked 3rd in the league in defensive efficiency, allowing just a mere 99.1 points per 100 possessions.

They are the BEST at moving the ball around.  The Warriors are 1st in the league in assist ratio, with 20.7 percent of their possessions ending with an assist.

They’re unstoppable from the field.  The Warriors are 1st in the NBA in effective field goal percentage (56.6) and they’re also 1st in true shooting percentage (59.5).

The only thing that they don’t do too well is defensively rebound — they’re ranked 17th in defensive rebound rate (75.7)  — but strengths far overshadow that weakness.

Injuries:

Terrence Jones was involved in a car accident last Wednesday, and as a result, will likely be unavailable to play this week.  He has been diagnosed with a concussion and has been ruled as DOUBTFUL.

Donatas Motiejunas was recalled from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers but will go back there to make at least two more appearances before returning back in Rockets uniform.  His return is imminent and it should likely be within the next week or so.

Sam Dekker had back surgery back in November but the 2015 first-round pick seems to be edging closer to a return.  He was seen shooting on the practice court for the first time since heading to the injured list.  This is certainly a sign of good things to come.

There are no injuries to report for the Golden State Warriors.

Sources:  Jenny Dial Creech/Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle and Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com.

Next: The Big Decision: Trade Beverley Or Lawson?

Three Things to Watch:

  1. Patrick Beverley vs. Stephen Curry
  2. James Harden vs. Klay Thompson
  3. Clint Capela vs. Draymond Green
  4. (Bonus) Trevor Ariza vs. Harrison Barnes

Prediction:

115-95 in a Rockets’ loss.

The Rockets have started their five-game, two-week road trip to take on the Warriors at Oracle Arena.

Tip-off is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. CST.

The game will be televised on TNT and broadcast on SportsTalk 790 AM (KBME) and La Ranchera 850 AM (KEYH) in Spanish.

Go Rockets!

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