Houston Rockets: Three takeaways from their win over the Warriors

You can take a deep breath Houston Rockets fans. It was one game. It was a January match up between two teams at less than full strength.

Now, with that boring but necessary preface out of the way, let’s break it down. Here are three key takeaways from the Houston Rockets’ exhilarating victory over the Golden State Warriors in the race for best in the west.

1. The top seed may be a long shot but it’s no longer a pipe dream

Before delving into the specific schematic takeaways, this game was significant from a basic mathematical standpoint.

A loss would have put the Houston Rockets a whopping 5.5 games back of the Warriors for first place in the conference. With no more head-to-head matchups this season, that would be a tall mountain to climb, especially when you consider the tie-breaker.

Thanks to their opening night victory, Houston finishes its season series with Golden State up two games to one, solidifying the edge in a potential tie-breaking scenario.

Like I said, it’s still a long shot. That’s not a slight at the Houston Rockets, the Warriors are just the Death Star.

But now the Rockets are down just 3.5 games in the standings, and only two in the loss column. If they can finally stay healthy, at the very least the Rockets can keep pace in the Warriors’ rearview mirror, and prevent them from routinely resting their stars down the stretch of the regular season.

Houston is very much in striking distance.

2. Wing Depth is Everything

The Houston Rockets did not have their full squad on Saturday. Both Trevor Ariza and Gerald Green were serving the back-end of their two-game suspensions from the weirdness that was the aftermath of a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Fortunately, Houston got big-time performances from its other two rotational wings, P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute.

Luc, starting in Ariza’s place, led all starters in plus/minus at +16. He is averaging 14 points per game, twice his season average, in his two contests against the Warriors which were both wins. He did not play with a dislocated shoulder in the Houston Rockets’ only loss to Golden State this season.

Tucker had 12 points of his own last night, including five big ones in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. He is averaging 16 points per game in the Rockets’ two wins over the Warriors. He was held scoreless in the loss earlier this month.

What does all of this mean?

Basically, the Rockets’ triumvirate of Ariza/Tucker/Mbah a Moute is a defensive luxury that most teams don’t have. The Rockets forced an uncharacteristic 19 turnovers on Saturday, clogging up the passing lanes and switching every screen. That’s not a coincidence.

Morey knew quite well what he was doing this summer when he brought in these wings. The importance of having versatile defenders who can switch on to anyone cannot be understated against the Warriors. It’s the only proven way to have even a prayer of beating them in a seven-game series.

It may seem like having three guys with the same exact role is a bit redundant.

However, when it comes to offense, these three are not the most consistent. The streaky demeanor of the Rockets’ wings shooting cannot be relied upon every night but having three of virtually the same player reduces that risk.

Coach D’Antoni can ride the hot hand without relinquishing versatile defense. If Ariza is having an off night, or Tucker goes through another dry spell like we’ve witnessed for most of January, you have two more guys you can plug into the lineup and keep the same strategy that has a chance to take down Golden State.

3. One Ball is Evidently Enough

We don’t need to point any fingers but let’s just say that more than a few so-called experts had concerns over James Harden and Chris Paul joining forces. And to be fair, they were valid concerns coming into the season.

Chris Paul has been a ball-dominant maestro throughout his career, and Harden unlocked his point guard prowess last season in his first stint under D’Antoni.

But it’s safe to say at this point that the two can effectively co-exist. The season is more than half over and Houston is a top three team.

After just 10 points on 3-for-15 shooting in his return from injury, Harden shook off the rust, going 3-for-3 for nine points in the game’s opening 90 seconds. He went 8-for-16 for 22 points and

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eight assists total, exceeding his minutes restriction to the surprise of no one.

CP3 chipped in 33 points of his own, along with seven assists and 11 rebounds. It was Paul’s first 30-point 10-rebound game since Harden’s Arizona State days. That’s a long time, I might add.

Admittedly, in the final few minutes of the fourth quarter, there were a few instances of both Harden and Paul calling for the ball on the inbound play. But after Paul turned it over on an isolation against Stephen Curry, the following possession he orchestrated a Harden switch onto Curry, which led to the Rockets’ dagger.

Rockets fans have known for a while but in front of a national audience last night, it’s becoming increasingly clear to everyone that Harden and Paul will be just fine.

Paul took to Twitter last night to confirm the same thing, before ultimately deleting it.

Due to injuries, Harden, Paul and Clint Capela have played just 17 times together but in those games they have 17 wins. Their big three has literally not lost yet this year, and that includes two wins over the Warriors.

Next: Why the Rockets should pursue a trade for Rodney Hood

The likelihood of Houston overtaking Golden State in a seven-game series, or even the top seed in the West, is not particularly high. But winning the season series definitely isn’t a bad sign. The Rockets are at least in the discussion for having a chance to be the team that dethrones the Warriors.

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