warriors vs rockets preview (Photo: still shot of NBA TV)
Houston Rockets (37-17) vs. Golden State Warriors (32-22)
Tip-off: Thursday, February 20th, 2014 – 7:30PM PST
Location: Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
Spread: Golden State (-3) meaning Warriors are 3-point favorites
TV: CSN Bay Area / TNT | Radio: KNBR 680 AM
Livetweet: @LetsGoWarriors (by @goldenstatenz)
Last Game / Streak:
HOU – Won 134-108 vs LAL in Los Angeles, Won 7 straight games
GSW – Won 101-92 vs SAC in Sacramento, Won 1 straight game
Probable Starting Lineups:
Warriors:
PG: Stephen Curry (24.4 PPG, 9.0 APG, 4.3 RPG)
SG: Klay Thompson (18.3 PPG, 2.5 APG, 3.0 RPG)
SF: Andre Iguodala (9.7 PPG, 4.3 APG, 4.6 RPG)
PF: David Lee (18.9 PPG, 2.3 APG, 9.8 RPG)
C: Jermaine O’Neal (6.3 PPG, 0.4 APG, 4.7 RPG)
Rockets:
PG: Patrick Beverley (9.6 PPG, 2.8 APG, 4.0 RPG)
SG: James Harden (24.0 PPG, 5.4 APG, 4.7 RPG)
SF: Chandler Parsons (17.1 PPG, 3.6 APG, 5.6 RPG)
PF: Terrence Jones (11.7 PPG, 1.2 APG, 7.3 RPG)
C: Dwight Howard (18.9 PPG, 1.7 APG, 12.5 RPG)
The Warriors could possibly have newly acquired guard Steve Blake in tonight’s game against the Rockets; this would really give the Warriors a better bench unit.
Andrew Bogut could very well be sidelined again after receiving his cortisone shot and having a bad reaction to it.
The Rockets have come in on a roll, winning seven straight. They look to keep it going tonight against the Warriors at #Roaracle.
If it is anything like the last time the Dubs faced them at #WarriorsGround, Howard might hit a corner three.
Warriors look to get a win for their fans on Social Media Night, in which Klay Thompson is back on Twitter.
Monte Poole of CSN Bay Area:
Iguodala is particularly important because he’s the Warriors’ best defender and one of a few NBA players with a chance to contain Houston’s smoothly explosive James Harden, who scorched the Warriors for 60 points (34 and 26) in the first two games.
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While Iguodala’s task sits before him, primary guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are just happy to know additional help is on the way, with Blake arriving maybe as soon as Thursday.
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“You know what Steve Blake can bring to a lineup,” Curry said. “He has a specific set of skills that will help this team. He’ll help this team just like he’s helped every team he’s been on his whole career.”
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Said Thompson: “He’s scrappy, he a can run a team, plays unselfishly, makes big shots and shoots it well from the arc. That’s what we need.”
Jonathan Feigen of Chron.com:
Three things to look for in Thursday’s game at Golden State:
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1. Dwight night, Part 2?: Though Dwight Howard will not be anywhere near the sort of center of attention he was in Los Angeles, he likely will be the focus of the Rockets’ offense. Warriors center Andrew Bogut has been out with shoulder inflammation, dramatically diminishing the Warriors’ interior and post defense. Howard averaged 20 points and 14.5 rebounds in two games against Golden State this season, both Rockets wins. In Oakland, he made 5 of 6 shots, including a 3-pointer and all seven of his free throws.
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2. Back to back-to-backs: The Rockets will be playing the first of two back-to-backs on the road trip, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. The Warriors also played on Wednesday, taking on the Kings in Sacramento, and are 4-5 when playing a second game in as many nights. The Rockets are 9-4 when completing back-to-backs, going 5-0 in the second game when both are on the road. The Rockets have won 18 of their past 22 games against the Warriors, including the past three in Oakland.
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2. AI A OK: The Rockets have not seen Andre Iguodala this season, with the player the Warriors signed when they were turned down by Dwight Howard missing the first two meetings with a strained left hamstring. Now healthy, Iguodala can match up on James Harden, who has averaged 30 points in the two meetings with the Warriors. Iguodala has made Golden State a much stronger defensive team, with the Warriors fourth in defensive rating.
Paul McGuire of Red94.net:
It is Houston’s offense however which will have the biggest challenge. The shooting and flashiness of Stephen Curry and the Warriors make people believe that they are a high-flying offensive team with a mediocre defense, but they are in fact a defensive titan that depends a bit too much on shooting to generate points – for example, they are ranked 3rd when it comes to defensive rating. A lot of this defensive impact can be traced to Andrew Bogut, who would be a credible Defensive Player of the Year candidate if Roy Hibbert didn’t exist. But even if Bogut does not play tonight, Andre Iguodala is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, one who made things extremely difficult for James Harden last year when Iguodala was a Denver Nugget.
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