HOUSTON — The Rockets can end their six-game homestand with a winning record… if they defeat the Golden State Warriors. That’s the defending NBA champions, a team with three potential first-ballot NBA Hall of Famers, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
Entering Monday, the Warriors are also a team in desperate need of a road win after losing their last 11 games away from home. The last time the two teams met in late February, Klay Thompson hit a season-high 12 three-pointers, his third time to achieve that feat in his career. That game, however, was in San Francisco.
Buy Rockets Tickets“I don’t think Scoot (Kevin Porter Jr.) or Jalen (Green) were available for that game, so having them will be a great adjustment,” Rockets head coach Stephen Silas said about the necessary adjustments against the Warriors. “When you play Golden State, it is so tied to experience and knowing what’s coming. They have been together for so long and read each other so well.”
“I have gotten a bunch of text about the maturity part of it,” said Houston Rockets HC Stephen Silas about opponents noticing the growth of his young team. #Sarge #Rockets @TheRocketsWire pic.twitter.com/rlYK1S9wtP
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) March 20, 2023
But this differs from the team the Warriors beat by 15 points last time. Houston was in the middle of a losing streak that ended after 11 games. Since then, the Rockets have gone 5-5, including a recent a three-game home winning streak. Houston is without center Alperen Sengun due to an illness, but they will have Jalen Green, who scored 40 points Sunday in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Growth and maturity have been the theme for the young Rockets team during their homestand, and teams realize that looking at the schedule and seeing Houston is not an automatic victory.
“I have gotten a bunch of text about the maturity part of it,” said Silas, who was asked about other teams recognizing that Houston can be a tough opponent when playing together. “From where we started the season until where we are now, we just look like a more mature team, a more settled team, and a team that has more purpose. Just because we have played more games and stuck to the script.”
