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Houston Rockets Vs. Golden State Warriors: Game 46: Sneak Peek Analysis

By Brian K. Patterson

Apr 18, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) drives to the basket next to Houston Rockets center Clint Capela (15) in the third quarter in game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Rockets 115-106. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 18, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) drives to the basket next to Houston Rockets center Clint Capela (15) in the third quarter in game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Rockets 115-106. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Houston Rockets will undergo one of their biggest bloodbaths of the season.

The Houston Rockets will undergo one of their biggest bloodbaths of the season.

There’s no doubt they’ll be ready to take on a healthy rival, the 36-6 Golden State Warriors, owners of the league’s best record.

What’s up next?

So who’s leading the charge for the Warriors?

Kevin Durant leads the team in scoring (26.2 PPG) and is the top shot-blocker (1.7 BPG). Draymond Green is the top assist man (7.7 APG), the top board-getter (8.7 RPG) and holds the torch in steals (2.0 SPG).

Let’s talk about what the Warriors do well.

They continue to have an excellent, well-balanced attack.  The Warriors are ranked 1st in offensive efficiency (averaging 113.4 points per 100 possessions) and 1st in defensive efficiency (allowing 101.1 points per 100 possessions).

They’re still the best at moving the ball around efficiently.  The Warriors are 1st in the NBA in assist ratio, with 21.8 percent of their possessions ending with an assist.

They’re also the best shooters in the league.  The Warriors are ranked 1st in effective field goal percentage (56.8) and true shooting percentage (60.3).

They love to have the ball in their hands.  The Warriors are ranked 2nd in PACE Factor, averaging 103.1 possessions per game.

They crash the boards with precision.  The Warriors are ranked 6th in rebound rate, with 51.2 percent of their possessions ending with a rebound.

Next: James Harden To Sign A Super-Max Deal In 2017?

Injuries:

Clint Capela collided into Karl-Anthony Towns Dec. 17th against the T-Wolves.  He seemed to be in tremendous pain and could not walk on his own power to locker room.

It’s apparent that he has a minor fracture of his fibula and is expected to be out at least four weeks.  Nene will have some big shoes to fill as Capela heals but the Rockets can press on without him.

Capela traveled with the team on this past road trip and his first full practice with the team went well Monday.  It was pain-free so he did start in Tuesday’s game against Heat.

Capela is still on somewhat of a minutes-restriction but it remains to be seen if that will be the case tonight, he came off the bench Wednesday night with Montrezl Harrell and Corey Brewer being inserted into the lineup.

He had five points, three rebounds and two blocks rounding things out to 11 blocks on the season, a high for him.

Ryan Anderson has been battling the flu the past few days but it was finally to a point to where he couldn’t suit up the past few games.  His status, of course, is day-to-day and I’d likely deem him PROBABLE for tonight.

David West suffered a fractured thumb in Wednesday game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, his timetable for return is yet to determined.  Expect Kevin Looney to step in place of West while he’s out.

Source(s): Houston Rockets, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com, CSNBayArea.com

Matchups to Watch:

  1. Trevor Ariza vs. Kevin Durant
  2. Ryan Anderson?/Montrezl Harrell vs. Draymond Green
  3. Patrick Beverley vs. Stephen Curry
  4. James Harden vs. Klay Thompson
  5. Clint Capela/Nene Hilario vs. Zaza Pachulia

Prediction:

114-110 in a Houston Rockets’ loss.

The Rockets are back at home to take on the Warriors at Toyota Center.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST.

The game will be televised on ROOT Sports Southwest/ESPN and broadcast on SportsTalk 790 AM (KBME), Sirius 207, XM/SiriusXM 86 (Internet 890) and La Ranchera 101.7 FM (KNTE) & 850 AM (KEYH) in Spanish.

Go Rockets!

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