Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors: Game 1: Sneak Peek Analysis
The Houston Rockets 2017-18 season has arrived with a revamped roster ready to do battle with the NBA’s best, starting with the Golden State Warriors tonight.
The Houston Rockets acquired Chris Paul, P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute through trades/free agency and have re-signed Nene Hilario to a multi-year deal. With the loss of Patrick Beverley, Montrezl Harrell, Sam Dekker and Lou Williams, will this team be the same?
Other than on paper, along with James Harden the rest of the supporting cast, this team will still be offensive powerhouse they were last season and I don’t think we’ll miss a bit with the addition and subtractions in the off season.
It’s good that we’re facing the Warriors now so that we can check to see if this team is formidable enough to compete with the champs. Because after all, that’s what this team was built to for — to beat that heavy thorn on their side.
We’ll see how this pans out — I would love to see a win tonight but I honestly just want to see some competitive basketball out there. With CP3 at the reins, there’s no doubt that’s going to happen.
So who’s leading the charge for the Warriors?
Stephen Curry led the team in scoring (25.3 PPG). Kevin Durant remained in front as far as rebounds (8.3 RPG) and is the top shot-blocker (1.6 BPG). Draymond Green holds the torch in assists (7.0 APG) and steals (2.0 SPG).
Let’s talk about what the Warriors do well.
They continue to have a well-balanced attack. In 2016-17, the Warriors were 2nd in defensive efficiency, allowing just 101.1 points per 100 possessions. They’re also were ranked 1st in offensive efficiency, scoring 113.2 points per 100 possessions.
They’re still going to be the best shooting team in the NBA. The Warriors were ranked 1st in effective field goal percentage (56.3) and 1st in true shooting percentage (59.7).
They’re likely to still be the best at ball movement for the score. The Warriors were ranked 1st in assist ratio, with 21.4 percent of their possessions ending with an assist.
Next: Projecting the Rockets starting roster for 2017-18
Injuries:
Andre Iguodala strained his back against the Sacramento Kings this past Friday but did participate in practice yesterday. He remains QUESTIONABLE for tonight and I’d likely see him out there.
Source(s): Mark Medina of the San Jose Mercury-News
Matchups to Watch:
- Chris Paul vs. Stephen Curry
- Clint Capela vs. Zaza Pachulia
- James Harden vs. Klay Thompson
- Trevor Ariza vs. Draymond Green
Prediction:
115-108 in a Houston Rockets’ loss.
The Rockets are on the road to take on the Warriors at Oracle Arena.
Tip-off is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. CDT.
The game will be televised on TNT and broadcast on SportsTalk 790 AM (KBME), Sirius/XM/SiriusXM Internet 890 and La Ranchera 101.7 FM (KNTE) & 850 AM (KEYH) in Spanish.
Go Rockets