Heading into a high-stakes Game 2, the host Houston Rockets are looking for more offensive production on Wednesday to avoid falling into a two-game hole against their Western Conference playoff counterpart, the Golden State Warriors.
“We dominated the glass, we dominated some areas, but had a poor offensive showing in general,” said Houston coach Ime Udoka following his team’s 95-85 loss in the series opener on Sunday. “We had some wide-open, naked [3-pointers] that we missed on those kick-outs, and opportunities on layups on the second chance [from offensive rebounding].”
The No. 2-seeded Rockets grabbed 22 offensive rebounds to just six for the Warriors in Game 1, but Houston’s advantage in second-chance points was just 22-12. The Rockets’ inability to leverage their rebounding edge into a more substantial scoring gap on follow-up chances reflected the team’s 34-of-87 (39.1 percent) shooting performance from the floor.
Seventh-seeded Golden State, meanwhile, shot 36-of-76 (47.4 percent) from the field overall and 12-for-32 from 3-point range, compared to just 6-of-29 for Houston.
Stephen Curry, who scored a game-high 31 points, was responsible for five of the Warriors’ 12 made 3-pointers, including a 34-foot desperation heave with 5:11 remaining in regulation, when the Rockets trailed by only four points.
Houston battled back from a deficit that was as large as 23 points to give itself a chance down the stretch. Jabari Smith Jr., who came off the bench to score 11 points on 3-of-3 shooting and grab six rebounds, said the late-game push is “encouraging” for the Rockets as they regroup ahead of Game 2.
“Just to finish the game knowing we had opportunities to win … we’ve just got to clean up some things on the offensive end,” he said.
After conceding home-court advantage with its Game 1 loss, Houston finds itself needing a win on Wednesday to avoid heading to San Francisco in a two-game hole.
This is familiar territory for the Rockets franchise, which was eliminated from the postseason in four of its previous six appearances by Golden State. The Warriors ousted the Rockets in the Western Conference Finals in both 2015 and 2018 as well as in the first round in 2016 and the Western Conference semifinals in 2019.
Houston now features an entirely new core since its last playoff series against Golden State: 21-point-per-game scorer Jalen Green and 19.1-point, 10.3-rebound-per-game big man Alperen Sengün, who both debuted in the 2021-22 season. Both now play critical roles in the Rockets’ push to overcome the Warriors.
Curry was central to each of Golden State’s previous playoff defeats of the Rockets but now has a new running mate factoring into the Warriors’ chase for a fifth NBA championship since 2015: Jimmy Butler.
Butler, acquired in a trade from Miami in February, has been sensational of late. He closed the regular season with games of 28, 24 and 30 points. He then posted 38 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals in Golden State’s 121-116 win over Memphis in the play-in round on April 15.
Butler’s performance against the Grizzlies secured the Warriors the West’s No. 7 seed and a matchup with a Houston team that Golden State beat in three of four regular-season meetings. His 25 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals were crucial in the Game 1 win.
“They’re an incredible team, definitely a physical [team],” Butler said. “But I like to think we don’t back down from any challenge.”
