Rockets thrive on one huge advantage in win vs Warriors

The Houston Rockets may not be favored to win their series with the Warriors.

Partly, it’s a matter of experience. The Warriors have ample playoff experience. Beyond that, Steph Curry is one of the best basketball players ever.

They’re well-coached. They execute a more sophisticated offense. It’s hard for the Rockets to beat the Warriors in a basketball game:

But they’ll always beat them in a fight.

Rockets outmuscle Warriors in win

That’s not to celebrate Jimmy Butler’s injury. Let’s make that clear. Nobody should celebrate an injury. Butler is a human being, and there's less pride in a win if it comes against a less worthy opponent.

Hopefully, he’ll be available for Game 3. The Rockets want to beat the Warriors at full strength, and without Butler, they are light on offensive options.

Warriors fans will inevitably blame Amen Thompson for what happened. I’d be remiss not to note that it did seem that Draymond Green bears some responsibility for his injury. You could watch a hundred replays, and it would still be difficult to conclusively determine what happened. Still, nobody seemed to have ill intent in this situation. It was one of many instances of physical play in this one:

Many, many instances.

That’s exactly how the Rockets want to play. The results speak for themselves. With a final score of 109-94, the Rockets tied this series up.

Did they scratch and claw their way to victory?

Rockets get starry performances across roster

Sure, but 38 points and 6 assists from Jalen Green didn’t hurt.

Game 1 was treacherous for the young guard. So, this redemptive performance was deeply satisfying. Green was unconscious from behind the three-point line. He went 8/18 on an exceedingly tough shot diet. All told, Green was an efficient 13/25 from the field.

Alperen Sengun delivered a more well-rounded performance. He had 17 points, 16 rebounds, and 7 assists.

He was the Rockets’ best player. It almost wasn’t enough. The Warriors hung around throughout this contest. They whittled a massive lead down to 11 in the fourth quarter before the Rockets went on another run.

There was concern for the Rockets when Amen Thompson and Dillon Brooks had 3 fouls apiece in the first half. Thompson was involved in the Butler incident and may have been lucky to avoid a flagrant foul. It was reflective of one of the most physical games we’ll see this year.

That’s exactly how the Rockets like it.