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Rockets vs. Warriors Game 2: Pretty much must-win

By Michael Knight

HOUSTON, TX - MAY 14: Chris Paul #3 of the Houston Rockets shoots the ball against the Golden State Warriors during Game One of the Western Conference Finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on May 14, 2018 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - MAY 14: Chris Paul #3 of the Houston Rockets shoots the ball against the Golden State Warriors during Game One of the Western Conference Finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on May 14, 2018 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Rockets will try to redeem themselves in Game 2 after a loss on Monday night.

The Houston Rockets, unfortunately, dropped Game 1 to the Golden State Warriors on Monday night. The home loss stung and made Game 2 a pretty much must-win situation for the team.

The Rockets had great production from their stars in the first game but the bench faltered. That needs to improve greatly in Game 2, especially since it is at home.

This series is far from over, contrary to popular belief. All the talk in the media is about how the Warriors have already won this series. It’s only been one game, people. Last year, the Rockets blew out the Spurs in the first game in San Antonio then ended up losing the series. The Warriors are a whole different beast, of course, but nothing is guaranteed in the NBA.

Let’s look at the injuries:

Injury Report

Patrick McCaw for the Warriors is still out.

No injuries for the Rockets. Luc Mbah a Moute is still healthy, but will not test his shoulder with dunks.

Projected Starting 5s

Rockets

Chris Paul/James Harden/Trevor Ariza/P.J. Tucker/Clint Capela

Warriors

Stephen Curry/Klay Thompson/Andre Iguodala/Kevin Durant/Draymond Green

How the Rockets can win

As I said earlier, bench production will be key. Last game, the bench shot only 8-26 overall, compared to 8-12 from the Warriors.

Luc Mbah a Moute in particular needs to improve. He was 0-6 for the game and missed multiple layups.

Speaking of missed layups, Houston was quite bad in the paint in Game 1. They shot a little above 50% on those shots, a number that is unacceptably low. Should that even out, the score could look a bit better.

The defense needs to get better, at least as much as it can. The Rockets are facing a historically great team, maybe the best of all time. If the defense is not in synch, it could be very bad once again. They did well on Steph last game, but Klay was open on all of his makes from 3.

Here we go again, this one is practically a must-win. Let’s go Rockets!

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