ROCKETS FALL TO WARRIORS

Critical takeaways from Rockets' 105-103 loss to Warriors

Critical takeaways from Rockets' 105-103 loss to Warriors
Rockets fall short against Warriors. Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

This wasn't the typical Houston Rockets-Golden St. Warriors game when Mike D' Antoni and Steve Kerr were having an offensive battle of wits. James Harden, who plays for the Brooklyn Nets, was nowhere in sight for the Rockets Friday night. Although the Rockets are in rebuild mode, it was still an interesting game. The intensity was high throughout the entire game. Emotions between Stephen Silas and Kerr were heavy, as they were yelling and jumping up-and-down along the sidelines.

A series of runs and back-and-forth scoring gave a slight reminder of the old rivalry between the Warriors and Rockets. Steph Curry was having a tough game, but with 5.1 seconds left, he was able to create great separation from a step back and drained an incredible midrange shot over Kevin Porter Jr. It was heartbreaking because Porter played great defense on Curry throughout the entire game, with Curry only making 6 out of 22 shots. Porter had a tremendous first-half defensively on Curry and recorded an 88.9 defensive rating. Porter had a good feel for guarding Curry, he didn't allow himself to switch away from him. He anticipated passing lanes and ripped Curry a couple of times.

Besides Porter playing great defense, the Rockets played good as a whole. They finished with 10 steals. Their main technique was to switch everything on defense, and Kenyon Martin Jr. and Christian Wood did a good job. It's never easy staying in front of Curry and Jordan Poole, but if they could hold their ground for five seconds, it became possible. Porter did a great job at times by communicating on defense, so he could tell Jalen Green and Eric Gordon when to switch.

And speaking of Green--- he had a strange night offensively. He went 0-11 from the field but made two great plays in the fourth quarter. Instead of Silas keeping Green on the bench because of his cold hand, he kept him in the game for learning purposes. Green made an outstanding play on Curry at the 2:52 mark in the 4th quarter. Before that, he missed a shot from three but fought hard for the rebound, then found a cutting Wood towards the rim. Green might of struggled, but the effort was there.

This was a tough loss for the Rockets, but they are steadily improving. The Rockets are 3-5 in their last five games.

Up next: The Rockets face the Spurs on Tuesday night.

houston rockets nba rockets

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

Will this be the week the Texans' offense breaks out? Composite Getty Image.

Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud has been receiving a surprising amount of criticism recently, despite coming off the team's convincing win over the Cowboys on Monday Night Football.

Stroud has tossed only 2 TDs in his last 5 games, and already has more interceptions this year, than all of last season. Which is why many are claiming that a sophomore slump is afoot. But there are reasons to believe that's not exactly the case.

Stroud's decrease in touchdowns has a lot to do with Joe Mixon. Mixon already has 10 rushing TDs this season, in only 7 complete games. This Texans team is built more on defense and rushing the football. There's no need to keep throwing late in games when holding a lead with a quality defense.

The o-line can't be ignored

Houston's offensive line play has been an issue all season. Which is one of the reasons Stroud is the second-most sacked QB in 2024. Per PFF, the Texans have a 65.4 offensive line grade, which is 27th in the league.

With guard Kenyon Green out for the season nursing a shoulder injury, the Texans o-line appears to be improving. Stroud was only sacked once against the Cowboys.

Stroud has also been without Tank Dell, Stefon Diggs, or Nico Collins at some point this season. There's no question missing Nico for 5 games has made an impact. CJ is missing more throws this year, to be fair, but his regression is overstated in my opinion.

Let's not forget, Stroud was on the injury report last week with an injury to his right hand. That could definitely contribute to off target passes.

Texans vs. Titans

This could be the week CJ Stroud and the receivers get going. The Titans are down their two top corners once again, which is why PFF loves Collins this week. Per PFF, Nico has the fourth-best matchup advantage against the Titans defense in Week 11.

Houston shouldn't have trouble scoring points, as the Titans have surrendered 23 or more points in four of their last 5 games.

If the Texans can keep defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons in check, like they did with Micah Parsons last week, Stroud should have enough time to make some big plays down the field.

Bulls on Parade

This is setting up to be an exciting week for the Texans pass rushers. Will Anderson participated in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, so he should be back to help Danielle Hunter keep Will Levis and the Titans' passing game under wraps.

Not to mention, the Titans have taken 33 sacks this year, which is tied for the third-most in the league.

Corner Kamari Lassiter is also expected to return after missing last week with a concussion. Which should help the Texans keep receiver Calvin Ridley from wrecking the game. Lassiter along with Derek Stingley Jr. will present a big challenge for Levis and his receivers.

Low output

The Titans' offense has scored under 21 points in 9 of 10 games, so points should be hard to come by for Tennessee.

What does Vegas think?

The Texans are favored by 8 points at most sportsbooks. The total is set at 40.5.

Don't miss the video above as the crew from Texans on Tap gets real about CJ Stroud, and previews this week's showdown with the Titans.

texans houston texans nfl cj stroud

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome