The Rockets are hanging around.
Last night (April 30) , he Houston Rockets defeated the Golden State Warriors in Toyota Center, avoiding elimination, and forced a Game Xix in San Francisco. Houston came out firing on all cylinders, and their offense looked the best it has all season, but there are three key takeaways.
Getting into action early
After a poor offensive start in game four, Houston came out guns blazing, scoring 40 points in the first quarter while shooting 64% from the field and 55% from three. It is worth noting that Golden State is no slouch defensively, as they are one of the league’s better defenses. Houston got Golden State in foul trouble early as the Warriors recorded five fouls in less than five minutes. This fueled a 15-0 Rockets run that soon became 26-5. When coach Ime Udoka used Houston’s zone defense, it also worked well. Golden State’s leaders and stars, Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry, didn’t score until four minutes into the second quarter.
Getting everyone involved
Tonight was a balanced scoring approach, with all five starters scoring in double digits. Fred Vanvleet and Amen Thompson led the way with 26 and 25 points, respectively, followed by Dillon Brooks with 24, Alperen Sengun with 15, and Jalen Green with 11. Although Jalen did not score much, he was aggressive early, which is a stark contrast from the games earlier in this series. It wasn’t just the starters, though. Aaron Holiday, Jock Landale, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., and Jeff Green all had buckets off the bench. Houston got all of the players involved and got them involved early. Houston finished shooting 55.1% from the field, 43.3% from three, and 84.2% from the free throw line, all massive improvements over previous games, especially the free throw shooting, which possibly cost Houston the game on Monday night.
Stellar Defense on Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler
While known for their defense, the Rockets have had some issues containing Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry earlier this series, with Curry going off in Game Three and Jimmy going off in Game Four. However, tonight, Houston kept both Butler and Curry scoreless until four minutes had gone by in the second quarter. Curry and Butler eventually woke up some, as Butler finished with 8 points and Curry with 13, but Houston’s defenders held Curry to 4-for-12 shooting on field goals and Butler to 2-for-10 shooting on field goals. What interested me the most when watching this game was how Fred VanVleet appeared to defend Curry almost as well as Amen Thompson, so that is something to look out for.
The job is far from done, as Houston still trails Golden State 3-2 in the sereis. Friday’s Game Six tips off at 8:00 central from Golden State’s Chase Center, and will be televised to a national audience on ESPN.