Houston Rockets Game 34 of 2015-16 Season vs Warriors

Houston Rockets Game 34 of 2015-16 featured yet another loss to the Golden State Warriors.

Continuing SCS series of all 82 games from last season next up is the Houston Rockets Game 34 of 2015-16 versus the Golden State Warriors.

Dec 31, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets forward Terrence Jones (6) boxes out Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) in the second half at Toyota Center. The Warriors won 114 to 110. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Rockets added draft picks and signed free agents to improve upon an especially mediocre 41-41 campaign. Big man Dwight Howard left for Atlanta while free agents Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, Nene Hilario and Pablo Prigioni joined Houston in free agency.

Hopes are these additions and the growth of existing assets will translate into a season similar to 2014-15. While fans wait for opening night on October 26th versus the Lakers hopefully this series will appease your cravings.

To that end, this series showcases the Rockets 82 games noting the pregame analysis, post game grades, and relevant video. Furthermore, SCS will highlight significant changes made by their opponents this summer. So, here it is – – enjoy all 82 posts as SCS takes you back over the 2015-16 season.

Game 34 – Golden State Warriors

In the second meeting between Houston and Golden State once again the Warriors came out on the winning side.

114. 41. . 110. 169

Pregame Analysis:

In the second meeting between the Rockets and Warriors the pregame analysis looked at the potential for several key Warriors to be missing due to injury. Further the Warriors had only lost 2 games and those were spaced out. So expecting Golden State to lose 2 in a row even without their MVP was in the line-up was going to be a stretch.

Entering the season the Houston Rockets said they had one thing and one thing only on their minds: the ‘pursuit’ of a title. Now as the end of another calendar year looms the Rockets may have adjust that desire to simply be the pursuit of re-discovering the Rockets team who finished last season in the Western Conference Finals!

Tonight the Houston Rockets get their second shot at the reigning NBA Champion Warriors in a mired state as their MVP is a likely no go with a bruised leg, ditto for several other key contributing Warriors. This marks the first time in well over a year the Warriors have been without more than one starter and it offers the best opportunity for their opponents to take advantage.

Having said that the Warriors aren’t about to roll over and quit just because they are facing a little adversity and the first true injury road block in over a season. Just like they’ve fought to be the last team to lose a game they’ll also be trying to keep their streak of not losing two in a row in tact, so expect a focused effort at the Toyota Center.

Beating the battered and injured Warriors may not be the perfect litmus test for these Rockets who can’t seem to figure out who they are from one game to the next, but it should be a good start.

Post Game Analysis:

Coty Davis noted in his post game review the missed opportunity by the Rockets.

With the league’s best player Stephen Curry out for his second straight game, fans thought this would be an easy victory for the Rockets. However, after they gave up 24 points in the paint and watched Klay Thompson torch them for 17 in the first half, it was clear the Rockets were in for a tough game.

Stat Leaders:

My writer Coty Davis and I disagreed on the best Warriors player with him giving the nod to Klay Thompson while I felt Draymond Green earned the honors with his triple-double of 10 points, 11 rebounds, 16 assists as well as 2 steals and 2 blocks.

A-. Howard followed up his season high 30 points with another aggressive game. Howard made early impact on the defensive end with two blocks, and established himself offensively with eight first half points. As a team, the Rockets should have fed Howard the ball a little more. 21 points 13 rebounds, 3 blocks.. C. Houston Rockets. DWIGHT HOWARD

A+. With his backcourt mate Stephen Curry out, Klay Thompson backed up his statement as the best shooting guard in the league. Thompson ended the first quarter with a sizzling 17 points on 77 percent shooting. Houston were able to contain him in the second quarter, but allowed him to score 14 points in the third. Klay reminded fans how deadly he can be on the floor. Overall, awesome game from Thompson tonight. 38 points, 7 rebounds, 59 percent FG.. SG. Golden State Warriors. KLAY THOMPSON

NBA box score can be reviewed via this link.

Rockets Games vs Warriors in 2016-17

Houston Rockets play the Golden State Warriors 4 times this season:

December 1st in Oakland at Oracle Arena
January 20th at home
March 28th at home
March 31st in Oakland at Oracle Arena

Draft Picks and Free Agents

The most coveted free agent of the summer was Kevin Durant. His choice to leave the Thunder to form a super team in Oakland sent shock waves through the Association. This move led to massive changes on the Warriors as several roster moves had to be made to solidify the deal. Notably 6 players left Oakland, 5 via free agency and 1 via a trade:

Draft Picks:

Round 1: Damian Jones (30)

Round 2: Patrick McCaw (38)

Incoming Free Agents:

Kevin Durant 2-years $54.3M with opt out in second year
Zaza Pachulia 1-year $2.9M to Warriors
David West veteran minimum contract of 1 year at $1.3M
JaVale McGee will attend Warriors training camp under a ‘make good’ 15 day contract

Exiting Free Agents:

Andrew Bogut

(trade to Dallas)

More from Space City Scoop

Harrison Barnes 4-years, $95M to Dallas

Brandon Rush to a 1 year $3.5M to Minnesota

Leandro Barbosa 2-year, $8M to Phoenix

Festus Ezeli on a 2-year $15M to Portland

Marreese Speights to the Clippers on a 2-year vets minimum deal

Re-upping:

Ian Clark on a 1 year contract (no financial terms available)
James Michael McAdoo changed direction (no qualifying offer orginally extended) with 1-year minimum deal
Anderson Varejao

Next: Updated Free Agency Report

Next: Free Agency Profiles for all 30 Teams

Due to the large Houston Rockets fan base, SCS is always looking to add new talent to our writing team. To that end, we’re looking for individuals with a specialized focus. Specifically, the first area is perfect for someone who constantly surfs for breaking news on injuries, trades, insider info. Consequently this individual would select top news items providing timely quick hits to keep SCS readers in the loop.

The other writer would possess an especially strong social media background and would like to interact with Clutch City Fans. Therefore this person will promote SCS team content on facebook and twitter. As a result the successful candidate will make sure to promote the best content coming from H-Town fans. In conclusion, if you’re a budding writer who possesses these qualities vist the SCS link, and fill out an application.

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