Houston Rockets Recap: Warriors Win Shootout in Houston

Jan 20, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley (2) talks with an official during the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

It was a three-point shootout on Friday night at the Toyota Center, but the Houston Rockets were not able to come out on top.

The Houston Rockets faced a tough matchup in the Golden State Warriors at home. With this loss, the Rockets will remain in their solid third place spot in the West. They are two games behind the San Antonio Spurs and three games in front of the Los Angeles Clippers. 

Friday night was a tough one for the Rockets as the game resulted in a 17-point loss to the Warriors. Unfortunately, they have come across a tough shooting streak during their last three games. They have shot a little under 25 percent from the three-point line. This includes last night’s 20 percent performance.

Against other teams, their high-powered offense would be able to survive a night like this. However, against another high powered three-point shooting team like the Warriors, there was very little margin for error.

Both teams came out early trading buckets and from the start. They were on pace to have a high scoring game. James Harden started off quietly but was able to get more involved in the second quarter and finish the half with 15 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds. The Warriors continued their strong play in the second quarter and began to pull away. Fortunately, the Rockets were able to make a nice run towards the end of the half and bring the game within five. At the half, Houston was shooting an efficient 47 percent with Golden State shooting 58 percent.

In the second half, Ryan Anderson had been taken out due to illness, so Corey Brewer started in his place. The Rockets looked to use the momentum and take a lead in the second half. Unfortunately, the Warriors came out hot. They outscored Houston 37 to 22, shooting a great 59 percent from the field in the third quarter.

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At the end of the third, Kevin Durant was shooting 10-16 from the floor with 24 points. Stephen Curry was also scoring well for his team as he added 21 points. From there on, Golden State was able to finish the game with a comfortable cushion. They were able to create open shots for their shooters and execute. It was tough seeing some of the calls being made on both ends of the floor, but sometimes you deal with that.

On a positive note, it was great seeing some players like Sam Dekker, Clint Capela, and Montrezl Harrel perform like they did tonight. Clint Capela played especially well. He was the Rockets’ leading scorer tonight as he had 22 points on 10 of 16 shooting. He added 12 boards on top of that.

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Moving on

It would have been nice to see the Rockets get the win especially having already beaten Golden State on the road, but tonight’s game was not the ideal outcome and it was tough to see Houston’s shooting struggles. The next game on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies will be a big one. Hopefully, the Rockets will be able to bounce back from this and get big win against a no-nonsense Grizzlies team.