The Golden State Warriors found themselves in no man’s land following a crushing blow to their rotation in a physical and testy affair against the Houston Rockets in Game Two. Jalen Green led all scorers with 38 points, including eight three-pointers, bouncing back from a wretched Game One in which he scored only seven points.
The Rockets’ physicality disturbed the Warriors, who never led in this game. Houston maintained control wire to wire, with the lead ballooning to as much as 20 points.
Tough break for Golden State
The Warriors struggled to maximize their offense after Jimmy Butler exited early due to a scary fall that resulted in a pelvic contusion in the first quarter.
Out of caution, he did not return to the game. Brandon Podziemski, who was dealing with a stomach ailment, was held scoreless in Game Two, following a performance in Game One where he scored 14 points and had five assists.
Stephen Curry was the primary offensive contributor for Golden State, scoring 20 points and providing nine assists. However, the aggressive defense often employed against him succeeded in disrupting his rhythm.
Despite this, Curry has now scored 20 points or more in 16 consecutive playoff games, the longest streak in the NBA. Additionally, he reached a significant milestone by recording 4,000 career playoff points.
Hostile Houston Crowd
Tensions were high during this contest, as many fans used the opportunity to express their disdain for the Warriors in the hostile environment of the Toyota Center. Jalen Green was called for a flagrant foul after making contact with Draymond Green’s face with his arm, and Draymond received a technical foul for berating officials.
Houston took advantage of the Warriors’ lack of depth in this matchup, as the absences of Podziemski and Butler became too much for the Warriors to handle.
In the postgame comments, Coach Kerr didn’t elaborate on the antics that occurred, simply stating, “We just didn’t have enough tonight.” Draymond also avoided engaging with the drama following Game 2, saying, “I thought it was a little less physical than Game 1.”
Adjustments for Game 3
The intensity of the games increases significantly in playoff matchups, and the Warriors currently find themselves trailing 0-2 in the rebounding category against the Houston Rockets.
They were out-rebounded 52-36 in Game 1 and 47-32 in Game 2, as Houston dominated the boards. To turn things around, the Warriors must either adopt a bigger lineup or take advantage of transition opportunities to get ahead of the Rockets in Game 3.
Increasing the playing time for Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga could help address many of Golden State’s challenges, especially with a hobbled Jimmy Butler likely to play on Saturday.
Jalen Green will also aim to build on his performance from Game 2, where he showed promise. Encouraging him to become the primary scorer might be a key to success; in Game 2, the Warriors managed to cut the lead down to just 11 points several times while he was in a rhythm offensively.
Defensively, the Warriors should maintain a fluid approach similar to the zones seen in Game 1, but they should also adjust to a more drop coverage strategy that allows them to leverage their rebounding advantage late in the shot clock. Forcing Houston’s younger players to take poor shots could replicate the success seen in Game 1, especially with the support of the home crowd.
Matching Houston’s physicality will be crucial. With Draymond Green leading the charge and a motivated Jimmy Butler also in the mix, the Warriors are in a promising position after stealing a game on the road.