Can a young star again carry the Rockets against a depleted Warriors squad? Key absences will force adjustments for both teams.
The Houston Rockets will face the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night for the first time since November. In their last meeting back in November, the Rockets’ 21-year-old guard Reed Sheppard bailed them out with his career-high 31 points and four threes that erased the Warriors’ 14-point lead. The Rockets defeated the Warriors 104-100.
With Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, and Jabari Smith Jr. all still listed as questionable for Thursday night’s game, he may have to absorb that responsibility again- alongside Kevin Durant, of course.
Houston enters Toyota Center riding high after winning four of their last five games, most recently beating the Wizards on the road 123-118 on Monday night, despite the ever-recurring turnover problem. The Rockets committed 20 turnovers in the capital, which the Wizards converted into 39 points.
Despite gifting those points to Washington and their immaculate three point shooting, the stat sheet was stuffed with Rocket accomplishments. Reed Sheppard had the best performance of his career, recording his first double-double (19,7,10), including a career-high ten assists and matching his record of two blocks.
In fact, three Rockets notched double-doubles that night. Amen Thomson contributed 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Alperen Sengun added 32 to the score board plus 13 rebounds of his own. Kevin Durant had yet another 30-point night, which he’s done three times in his last five games.
Ultimately, it came down to dominating the paint and controlling the glass. Houston outrebounded Washington 59-27, including a remarkable 21 offensive rebounds that created several second looks they converted to buckets. The Rockets also won the paint battle 62-40, which was just enough to compete with the Wizards’ 19 made threes, which they shot with 54.3-percent accuracy.
The Warriors also walk in rather shorthanded tonight, especially as far as shooters go. Steph Curry, Seth Curry, Jimmy Butler III, Moses Moody, Kristaps Porzingis, and Will Richard all remain sidelined for Thursday. Shooting responsibilities will likely fall on Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thomson, and Jonathan Kuminga tonight, so we’ll likely see some doubles on these guys.
This game will likely come down to who can adjust according to key absences with so much talent sidelined on both sides. If Houston’s questionable players do suit up, the Rockets should be a shoo-in for the home victory.
Both enter rested, but only one team has the homecourt advantage. Analysts seem to think so anyway. Houston is favored -360 with an +8.5 spread, per FanDuel Sportsbook, pre-tipoff (odds subject to change).