NBA PLAYOFFS
Fred Faour: 5 observations from the Rockets Game 2 win over Golden State
May 16, 2018, 10:42 pm
Eric Gordon played well. Jonathan Daniel
The Rockets looked more like the team we have seen all season and knocked off Golden State 127-105 to even the series at 1-1. Here are five thoughts on the Rockets win:
1) Balance, balance, balance: The supporting cast showed up in this one. PJ Tucker scored 22. Trevor Ariza had 18. Eric Gordon matched a team high with 27. It was not all on James Harden, Chris Paul and Clint Capela. A balanced Rockets team is dangerous.
2) Ball movement: The Rockets used ISO, but they also moved the ball and created mismatches. It made all the difference in the world.
3) One man show: Kevin Durant was a beast again with 38 points, but he had little help. Steph Curry scored 16 but on 7 of 19 shooting. No other Warrior hit double figures. Golden State simply did not do enough.
4) Getting defensive: The Rockets defense shut down Klay Thompson, who was great in Game 1. He scored just 8. They also bothered Curry again. Draymond Green was invisible. If the Rockets play defense like this, they can win the whole thing.
5) Great adjustments: Give Mike D'Antoni some credit for making the right moves. He changed things up, and the Rockets got a big win.
This is more like it. If the Rockets play like this, they can win at Oracle. If they play like Game 1? They come home down 3-1. We shall see.
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The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!