"Our focus game was pathetic" - Draymond Green slams the Warriors for nearly throwing away the game against the Rockets
The Golden State Warriors got off to a sloppy start against the Houston Rockets on Monday night.
The Warriors finished the first half with a whopping 14 turnovers to just 16 assists. The team’s careless play allowed Houston to hang around for most of the game before Golden State ultimately pulled away in the fourth to win 121-108.
Following the game, Warriors forward Draymond Green spoke about their lack of focus, which almost cost them the game:
“Our focus level was pathetic to start the game,” Green said.
“You notice a young, athletic team, they’re gonna be in passing lanes, and we were real careless with the ball. So, we were able to lock in. Coach challenged us coming out of the half. We were able to lock in after those first couple minutes of the third quarter.
“I think we turned it over, what, five or six times there in the second half? And two or three of them were in the first two minutes of the third quarter. So I thought we did a pretty good job of cleaning it up after a while,” Green continued.
Draymond says the Warriors' focus in the first half was "pathetic" https://t.co/nmLY5dFwT9
As Green noted, his side took much better care of the ball in the second half, finishing with 15 assists to just six turnovers.
Golden State was led by superstar point guard Steph Curry, who finished with 30 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block. He also drained five 3-pointers on 43.5% shooting.
Shooting guard Klay Thompson added 29 points, seven rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block and five 3-pointers on 52.4% shooting as well.
Meanwhile, the Rockets were led by rookie forward Tari Eason, who finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds, one assist and four steals on 56.3% shooting. Jalen Green added 20 points, three rebounds and two assists.
Updated Western Conference standings following Warriors’ win over Rockets
With its win, Golden State (37-36, sixth in the West) was able to end its three-game losing streak. The Warriors have now moved back into the top six in the Western Conference and out of play-in position.
However, they are still just two games ahead of the 12th-placed New Orleans Pelicans (34-37). So Golden State is still at risk of missing the playoffs with just nine games remaining.
Meanwhile, Houston (18-54) remains at the bottom of the Western Conference.
The Warriors will next play on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks (36-36, seventh in the West). The Rockets, meanwhile, will take on the Memphis Grizzlies (44-27, second in the West) on the same day.
Also read: Former NBA champion sends strong message to Golden State Warriors - "They need to stop counting those 4 rings"