Game Details

  • Tip Off: 5:00 p.m. (PT)
  • Television: CSN-BA

Houston Rockets Team Profile

  • Offensive Efficiency: 105.4 (8th in NBA)
  • Defensive Efficiency: 103.5 (18th in NBA)

Leaders

  • Points: James Harden, 25.8 PPG
  • Rebounds: Omer Asik, 11.4 RPG
  • Assists: Jeremy Lin, 6.1 APG
  • Steals: Jeremy Lin, 2.0 SPG
  • Blocks: Omer Asik, 1.1 BPG
  • Field Goal Percentage: Greg Smith, 62.4% FG
  • 3-Point Field Goal Percentage: Carlos Delfino, 40.0% 3PT FG

Scope the Opposition: Red94.

Preview: After an impressive rout of the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night, the Golden State Warriors will be in Houston tonight to take on a good Rockets team that loves to play fast and put up points on the board.

Kevin McHale’s group plays at the fastest pace in the NBA and produces 105.4 points per 100 possessions thanks to their drive and kick game.

James Harden, Jeremy Lin and even Chandler Parsons to some extent love to spot up from 3-point range or just put the ball on the floor when defenders close out on them to get into the paint to attempt to score or kick the ball out to an open shooter.

It’s worth noting that every now and then Houston will feed Omer Asik on the interior where he can score on the block against challenged interior defenders.

For the most part though, Houston will stick to their slash and shoot game, but will also get highly creative and put Harden in the pick-and-roll game where he is lethal.

MySynergySports tells us that the bearded one converts 48.7 percent of his field goals in the pick-and-roll, and that’s essentially because he is a terrific ball-handler that understands angles and how to shift through them.

The left-handed guard has a bit of Manu Ginobili and Dwyane Wade in his game given how he sets up defenders and weaves through them almost in slow motion at times because of his great body control.

Klay Thompson will have his hands full tonight when dealing with the Houston guard, but it’s quite possible that the Warriors’ guard might end up putting some pressure on Harden as well as he forces him to run around through screens and exert some energy.

The one area that is bound to play a huge role in deciding the outcome will be the interior play, where Andrew Bogut and David Lee have exhibited some good synergy since the Aussie rejoined the lineup.

Their cutting and passing puts a lot of pressure on opponents, which consequently opens up the floor for Golden State’s shooters.

If the Warriors get their fair share of scores in the paint, it may just spell doom for the Rockets.

Questions or comments? Feel free to leave them in the comments section or you can contact me by email at [email protected].