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The Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors have played three times in the month of April, including two to start their best-of-seven series in the first round of the 2025 Western Conference playoffs.
The Warriors have yet to exceed 96 points in any of those three games, and the Rockets have won two of them. For the NBA's 2024-25 regular season, Golden State's average offensive rating against Houston would have ranked dead last among all 30 teams.
Led by head coach Ime Udoka and elite defenders such as Amen Thompson, Dillon Brooks, Jabari Smith Jr., and Tari Eason, the Rockets have rated among the league's best defenses all season. So far, that has carried over into the postseason.
“That’s who we are,” Udoka said after Wednesday's physical Game 2 win in Houston, which tied the series. “That’s our identity for the most part. At the start of the playoffs, we didn’t have to flip a switch and try to get tougher, or try to get more aggressive. That’s kind of what we’ve built everything on. So, that carries over to the playoffs, and we understand that. If they let us play, both teams, it’s in our favor for the most part. Golden State is physical, as well. You have to play through it. You can’t expect it on one end and cry about it on the other end.”
For the Rockets, the elite defense versus Golden State is becoming the norm. In Game 2, even with the Warriors going 17-of-43 from 3-point range (39.5%) — elite in both accuracy and volume — Golden State still topped out at 94 points. Houston won the rebounding battle by double digits (47-33), yet again. with All-Star center Alperen Sengun grabbing 16 boards in 37 minutes.
Defensively, the formula is clear. The variable seems to be the offense.
In Sunday's Game 1 loss, the Rockets scored just 85 points while shooting approximately 21% on 3-pointers and 55% on free throws. In Game 2, they scored 109 while making nearly 38% of their 3-point attempts and 80% of their free throws.
Beyond making more shots, the Rockets also had a more efficient shot diet. Houston shot 40 times from 3-point range in Game 2 after doing so only 29 times in Game 1, and Jalen Green went from shooting 0-of-4 from distance to an 8-of-18 (44.4%) night. That lifted Green's scoring from 7 points in Game 1 to a game-high 38 in the dynamic Game 2 victory — and when paired with Houston's elite defense, it made it essentially impossible for the Warriors to score enough to stay close.
“We just let Jalen get going a little bit, and he got free to space,” said Warriors star Steph Curry, who was only able to shoot nine times from 3-point range against Houston’s stingy defense. “There’s no reason he should get up 18 3s.”
The question, of course, is how all these formulas will soon translate to games played in San Francisco. Game 3 and Game 4 of the best-of-seven series are coming up on Saturday and Monday nights, respectively.
More: Game 2: Jalen Green (38 points, 6 assists) erupts as Rockets tie series versus Warriors
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: For third time in April, Rockets hold Warriors below 100 points
Continue reading...
The Warriors have yet to exceed 96 points in any of those three games, and the Rockets have won two of them. For the NBA's 2024-25 regular season, Golden State's average offensive rating against Houston would have ranked dead last among all 30 teams.
Led by head coach Ime Udoka and elite defenders such as Amen Thompson, Dillon Brooks, Jabari Smith Jr., and Tari Eason, the Rockets have rated among the league's best defenses all season. So far, that has carried over into the postseason.
“That’s who we are,” Udoka said after Wednesday's physical Game 2 win in Houston, which tied the series. “That’s our identity for the most part. At the start of the playoffs, we didn’t have to flip a switch and try to get tougher, or try to get more aggressive. That’s kind of what we’ve built everything on. So, that carries over to the playoffs, and we understand that. If they let us play, both teams, it’s in our favor for the most part. Golden State is physical, as well. You have to play through it. You can’t expect it on one end and cry about it on the other end.”
For the Rockets, the elite defense versus Golden State is becoming the norm. In Game 2, even with the Warriors going 17-of-43 from 3-point range (39.5%) — elite in both accuracy and volume — Golden State still topped out at 94 points. Houston won the rebounding battle by double digits (47-33), yet again. with All-Star center Alperen Sengun grabbing 16 boards in 37 minutes.
Defensively, the formula is clear. The variable seems to be the offense.
In Sunday's Game 1 loss, the Rockets scored just 85 points while shooting approximately 21% on 3-pointers and 55% on free throws. In Game 2, they scored 109 while making nearly 38% of their 3-point attempts and 80% of their free throws.
Beyond making more shots, the Rockets also had a more efficient shot diet. Houston shot 40 times from 3-point range in Game 2 after doing so only 29 times in Game 1, and Jalen Green went from shooting 0-of-4 from distance to an 8-of-18 (44.4%) night. That lifted Green's scoring from 7 points in Game 1 to a game-high 38 in the dynamic Game 2 victory — and when paired with Houston's elite defense, it made it essentially impossible for the Warriors to score enough to stay close.
“We just let Jalen get going a little bit, and he got free to space,” said Warriors star Steph Curry, who was only able to shoot nine times from 3-point range against Houston’s stingy defense. “There’s no reason he should get up 18 3s.”
The question, of course, is how all these formulas will soon translate to games played in San Francisco. Game 3 and Game 4 of the best-of-seven series are coming up on Saturday and Monday nights, respectively.
More: Game 2: Jalen Green (38 points, 6 assists) erupts as Rockets tie series versus Warriors
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: For third time in April, Rockets hold Warriors below 100 points
Continue reading...
