The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets laced up for a Western Conference battle Wednesday night. Houston big man Christian Wood made his return after missing the last 17 games due to an ankle sprain. During this stretch, Houston went a disheartening 0-17 after starting the season 11-10. Although Wood was back in the lineup, Houston was still short former all-stars John Wall and Victor Oladipo.
“He’s a difference-maker,” Houston coach Stephen Silas said of Wood. “He can score and rebound and block shots, and really kind of changes who we are.”
Getting out to run
The Warriors pushed the pace early, getting out in transition to take a quick 5-0 lead. Houston matched the pace and went on a 7 to 0 run as part of their push to take the lead midway through the first. It wouldn’t last long, however. The Warriors’ Draymond Green found Andrew Wiggins for 2 straight easy buckets during an 11 to 0 run. The first assist of the 2 catapulted Green past Hall-of-Famer Chris Mullin for 5th-most assists in Warriors history. Houston kept things interesting to end the quarter, but the Warriors took a 31-27 lead into the break.
With Wood on the bench, the Warriors outscored Houston 23-14. Midway through the second period, Houston trailed by the same difference, speaking volumes of Wood’s value. The momentum continued for the Warriors upon Wood’s return, as they extended their lead to 18. Jordan Poole came off the bench and got loose for the Warriors in the second. He knocked down multiple triples and attacked the rim for a 3-point play that put his team up 21. By halftime, the Warriors sat comfortably in front with a 68-44 lead.
Pushing for a comeback
Houston began the second half with a sense of urgency, cutting their deficit from 24 to 15 by the middle point. Wood started making his presence felt a little more on both ends of the floor, but the Warriors kept an answer up their sleeve. The Rockets capitalized off a tough shooting night for Stephen Curry and made a tough push to close out the quarter. Curry was just 2 for 11 from 3-point land after three quarters. His night would end there due to falling on his tailbone after an attempt.
Despite Curry’s absence, Houston struggled to get over the hump. They ended the third on a 9 to 3 run and cut their deficit to 14 with enough time to give themselves a shot in the fourth. Yet, another 3-point bomb from Poole pushed the Warriors’ lead back to 20. Poole shot 6 for 11 from distance for the game on his way to 23 points.
Free throw struggles
Late in the game, Wood baited Green into a pump fake on a 3-point attempt but missed all 3 of the free throws. This was symbolic of the way things went from the charity stripe for Houston. They shot an abysmal 21 of 40 as a team, failing to take advantage of a 28-attempt disparity between themselves and the Warriors. Golden State only attempted 12 free throws but made 10 of them.
Efficiency from the field and the free-throw line gave the Warriors (21-20) the win over Houston (11-28), 108-94. This is a new franchise record for Houston at 18 straight losses.
The Warriors gave a balanced effort, with 4 other players scoring in double figures. Kelly Oubre, Jr., dropped 19 points, while Curry and Andrew Wiggins chipped in 18 and 17, respectively. Green had an all-around game, finishing with 16 points, 12 boards, and 10 assists. This gave him the 27th triple-double of his career.
“Draymond was having fun out there tonight,” said coach Steve Kerr. “He was on top of his game. I thought he controlled the whole game with his defense and his rebounding. He was really, in my book, the player of the game.”
Wood’s return jolted a little life into Houston. He put up an efficient 21 points and snatched 9 rebounds in his first game back. Porter, Jr., led the team with 25 points, 7 assists, and 3 steals. Danuel House Jr. added 11 points, and Kenyon Martin, Jr., came off the bench to provide 13 with 9 rebounds.
Silas expressed after the game that he feels optimism around his team, stating that they will be pretty good once everybody is back. The Warriors are back at it Friday evening against Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies at 5:00 p.m.
