5 Takeaways From the Rockets 115-108 Win Over Warriors
Nov 12, 2026 4:00 PM

Taking a look at five takeaways from the Houston Rockets' 115-108 win over the Golden State Warriors.

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The Houston Rockets headed into Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors with an opportunity to pick up another quality win, and Houston was able to do just that, picking up the 115-108 win over Golden State.

While Warriors guard Stephen Curry exited with an injury early, and Rockets guard Marcus Smart was ejected, this was a solid win for Houston.

With that said, it's time to take a look at five takeaways from the Rockets' solid win over the Warriors on Wednesday night.

Reed Sheppard Hits 3 Fourth Quarters 3s

One of the best things that happened in this game was the fact that guard Reed Sheppard was able to step up in the fourth quarter and help the Rockets close the game.

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Prior to the final quarter, Sheppard was playing decently, but in the fourth, he really stepped up as he made three shots from beyond the arc and finished with 13 points on the night while going 5-for-9 from the field and 3-for-6 from three-point range.

This year is going to be a crucial season for Sheppard, and if he can consistently show the ability to step up like this, he could very well become a major part of Houston's long-term plans.

Houston Takes Great Care of the Ball

Another takeaway on the offensive side for the Rockets was the fact that they were able to take much better care of the ball as a team.

For the game, Houston had 12 turnovers and allowed 18 points off those turnovers which is a great place to be, especially if this can be something they can do on a normal basis. A key part of this was the fact that veteran guard Fred VanVleet had zero turnovers and helped facilitate the offense very well, which is why he is so important to this team.

Moving forward, if the Rockets can take care of the ball like this with VanVleet leading the way, it is possible that this team could have one of the higher ceilings in the Western Conference.

Amen Thompson Displays Great Offensive Efficiency

Over the course of the season so far, there has been some ups and downs for young guard Amen Thompson, but on Wednesday night he displayed great offensive efficiency.

During the matchup against the Warriors on Wednesday, Thompson had 19 points on solid shooting splits as he went 8-for-11 from the field, 0-for-1 from three, and 3-for-5 from the free-throw line. In this game, it looked like Thompson was confident, and he had a very strong second half that showed his ability to be effective on offense when he maximizes his strengths.

With that in mind, if Thompson can figure out a way to utilize his athleticism and generate easy shots for himself and hit some open perimeter shots on occasion, this Houston could be even more dangerous.

This Team Needs the Front Court to Get Healthy

While a lot of the takeaways from this game were positive, this game did show that the Rockets need the front court to get healthy, which is something that has been monitored recently.

In the front court, the Rockets have been without centers Steven Adams and Clint Capela as they have been dealing with injuries, so head coach Ime Udoka has been going with more athletic lineups that include forwards Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr., but tonight, while Houston did win, they did allow 16 offensive rebounds to a Warriors team that is not necessarily known for their rebounding.

That said, the Rockets need Adams and Capela to return to the lineup sooner rather than later so they can put less pressure on center Alperen Sengun on both ends and get more size back on the interior, otherwise Houston could run into some issues against teams with deep front courts with great size.

Rockets Get Contributions Across the Board Offensively

Getting back to the offensive side of things, the final takeaway from this game is the fact that the Rockets were able to get contributions from across the board offensively.

On Wednesday night, the Rockets had six players in double digits when it comes to points as forward Kevin Durant had 20, forward Jabari Smith Jr. had 14, Sengun had 19, VanVleet had 18, Thompson had 19, and Sheppard had 13. All that to say, the Rockets have shown once again that they do not need to rely on one player to do all the damage offensively which is something that could do them well when the postseason comes around.

So, as the Rockets progress, it will be interesting to see if they can continue to get consistent production across the board offensively, because if they can, this could be something that separates them from the rest of the Western Conference as a team that has multiple solid scoring options.

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