What the Warriors without Steph can take away from an ugly win against the Rockets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
As good as the Warriors were for the first 24 minutes Saturday night against the Houston Rockets, they were equally bad the next 24 minutes at the Toyota Center before persevering into overtime to a 127-121 victory to begin a five-game tour.
The long list of positives for the Warriors in the first half of a third consecutive game no steph curry and De’Anthony Melton could be untangled and rolled to the ground. They had 24 shots and 20 assists before halftime and only had four turnovers.
They shot lights out from deep, shooting 60 percent and converting 12 of their 20 three-point attempts. They outrebounded the Rockets and attacked them defensively, and their depth shined with Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield scoring 14 points each off the bench.
The Warriors led by 28 points at halftime and led by as many as 31 points in the first half. His 71 points were the most in a first half of the entire season and the second most in any half.
And then came the second half.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka was outgrown and his revitalized group flipped the script for the Warriors. Without Curry, the Warriors didn’t have anyone who could create offense. Between the second half and overtime, the Warriors made 16 shots and only six assists, four fewer than their 10 turnovers. Costly mistakes. Mental lapses. Outmatched and surpassed.
Until it was the most important thing.
“I’m very proud of the guys for the way they responded to what was a Houston attack in that second half, especially in the fourth quarter,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the Warriors’ victory.
The markers do not have an attractive meter. Months from now, analysts, fans and observers could remember the many mistakes the Warriors made by even allowing the Rockets to roar back. Probably not. What they will see, and what the team will remember, is a victory in which the Warriors’ will was tested without their superstar on the road.
All the good vibes to kick off what has been an impressive start to the season could have easily come crashing down with several fingers pointed. But these victories are necessary.
The ugly victories and the positive aura that comes from surviving them are felt in the locker room. Although this is a franchise filled with dynastic moments over the past decade, the Warriors aren’t ripe for much overtime success, especially on the road.
The Warriors had lost their previous 11 road games in overtime before extending their winning streak against the Rockets to 14 consecutive games, including the last eight in Houston.
“Great experience,” Kerr said. “Winning after Draymond (Green) fouled out, winning without Steph, winning on a night where the game completely changed… it’s great to have that game on tape. “It’s great to feel it, because we’re going to have to improve when we face that type of defense.”
Going back in time, the Warriors’ starting five included Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant surrounded by Patrick McCaw, Jordan Bell and JaVale McGee when they last won a road game in overtime on December 18, 2017. Omri Casspi scored 14 points off the bench. and Nick Young added 10. Only a few things have changed since then.
This is the same team that played a league-leading 48 key games last season. A season in which Curry won the Clutch Player of the Year award, despite the Warriors going 24-24 in those games. They were 1-4 in decisive games that he didn’t play.
There has already been one game this season that falls into the decider category, meaning the score is within five points in the final five minutes. And that game was the Warriors’ only loss this season, falling 112-104 against the Los Angeles Clippers as Curry left early to a sprained left ankle.
The next two games were the perfect answer to beating the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans on back-to-back nights at home. Saturday night in Houston was a gut punch provided by a young, energetic team on the rise. Green believes such a tough blow physically and mentally would have been too much to bear a season ago.
“Last year, we would have smoked that game: 1,000 percent,” Green told reporters. “It’s good to see that we can pull off a game, regardless of whether everything went wrong or not.”
With another win in the record books and a third in a row without Curry, the needle continues to point north for the Warriors — sexy points be damned.
