NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking Points from Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets
The Golden State Warriors avoided a season sweep against the Houston Rockets by getting a 106-104 win at the Toyota Center.
The Warriors had lost all three previous encounters against the Rockets this season and needed to win this one without Kevin Durant who was out due to an ankle injury.
The Warriors were locked in from the start and took a 10 point lead after the first quarter. DeMarcus Cousins had a great game for the team and finished with 27 points.
With the win, the Warriors consolidated their lead at the top of the Western Conference and have a 46-21 record. They are 1.5 games ahead of the second placed team, Denver Nuggets.
Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets dropped one place to occupy the fourth place in the Western Conference playoff standings. They have a 42-26 record. This loss also ended the 9 game winning streak for the Rockets.
Let's have a look at the key talking points from this match:
#3 Great effort shown by the Warriors
The Warriors were seen everywhere in this match. They were highly motivated to win this one after a horrific loss against the bottom feeders, Phoenix Suns. They won most of the 50-50 balls and showed great hustle throughout this encounter.
The Warriors also outrebounded the Rockets by 44-31. They had a 12-5 advantage on the offensive glass. The Warriors are not a great rebounding team but they showed great tenacity to gain an advantage in this match.
DeMarcus Cousins led the Warriors with 8 rebounds. Kevon Looney and Klay Thompson had 6 rebounds each.
Despite this win, there is one big problem looming for the Warriors with the playoffs just around the corner. The offensive effectiveness of Draymond Green. Green needs to improve his outside shots as he has turned into an offensive liability this season.