![\"Denver](\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_6151,h_3459\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/GettyImages\/mmsport\/41\/01jsche51r6zrzgeyan8.jpg\")
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As the Golden State Warriors began their first-round matchup with the Houston Rockets on the road, many questions lingered regarding their viability as title contenders.<\/p>\n
Could their veteran scoring duo of Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler hold up against the Rockets’ intense defense?<\/p>\n
Could their peripheral scorers, such as Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody, make their shots if the Rockets successfully stifled Golden State’s stars?<\/p>\n
Could the relatively under-sized Draymond Green restrict the offensive potency of Rockets center Alperen Sengun?<\/p>\n
While the game did not go entirely in the Warriors favor, they pulled out the win, 95-85, and, in the process, have begun to look like true contenders for this season’s NBA championship.<\/p>\n
In an overwhelmingly defensive game, Golden State was able to prevail, even after giving up a 23-point lead they had earned through their dominant second quarter. Butler and Curry combined for 12 points in the fourth quarter, cementing the Warriors’ win.<\/p>\n
Still, there are a number of concerns Golden State must address in order to finish off this series. Despite their hindering of Jalen Green and Fred VanVleet, Sengun still scored 26 points on the night, keeping the Rockets in the game for much longer than the Warriors would have liked.<\/p>\n
Moreover, Golden State lost the game’s offensive rebound battle 22-6, allowing Houston to capitalize on second chance opportunities and keep their anemic offense alive.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, last night’s game presented a plethora of positive signs for this Warriors team. Curry, in response to his lackluster, three-point performance in his last matchup with the Rockets, scored 31 points on the night, going five-for-nine from the 3-point line and 63.2% total from the field.<\/p>\n
Golden State concealed their defensive coverages throughout the night, using their stellar on-ball defense to force 16 Houston turnovers and leave their opponents’ offense looking lost for much of the night.<\/p>\n
While it is still early in the series, it is clear that the Warriors have all of the components (star scoring, shot-making, defensive intensity, and veteran experience) to make a serious run at the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n
If they are able to clean up their sloppiness on the offensive glass and limit their turnovers, they should be able to handle the Rockets in six games or less given Houston’s depressing lack of offense.<\/p>\n
From there, they will face either the Los Angeles Lakers or the Minnesota Timberwolves, neither of which have the offensive versatility to truly handle Golden State’s defense as it has played recently.<\/p>\n
Although it is easy to overreact based on one game alone, and the Warriors could still see negative developments that could make the series a toss-up, it is clear that they have the tools they need to make a run. It is only a matter of whether they are able to consistently employ them against their opponents.<\/p>\n As the Golden State Warriors began their first-round matchup with the Houston Rockets on the road, many questions lingered regarding their viability as title co<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":55224,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n