Houston Rockets Have Been Able to Slow Down the Warriors' Offense

The Houston Rockets came away with a huge win Wednesday night 109-95 over the Golden State Warriors. The win tied the series at one game apiece and guaranteed that the Rockets would be playing at least one more game at the Toyota Center.

The Rockets were led by Jalen Green's 38 points and Alperen Sengun's double-double. In Game 2, the Rockets shot better as a team from the field and even better from the free-throw line. Another reason the Rockets were able to come away with the victory was their efforts on the defensive end of the court.

The Rockets held the Warriors to 41 percent shooting from the field and forced 15 turnovers. The Rockets did a great job, especially on Steph Curry, who finished with as many turnovers (six) as he did made field goals. Those six turnovers were the most Curry has had in a playoff game since 2019.

The Rockets holding the Warriors to 95 points shouldn't come as a surprise, as the Rockets have been able to contain the Warriors' offense for the last several games. The Warriors have scored 105 points or less against the Rockets during the previous six games.

The Rockets have held the Warriors under 100 points in five of those six games. That has helped the Rockets split the last six games with the Warriors after losing 15 in a row before the previous six games. The Warriors have only shot better than 44 percent in any of the last six games against the Rockets, and that was Game 1 on Sunday.

The Rockets have made it a priority to make other players besides Curry beat them. On every screen set for Curry, the Rockets trap him on the perimeter, forcing him to pass it off to players like Brandin Podziemski and Draymond Green. Green and Podziemski combined 2-11 from the field in Game 2.

In particular, players like Alperen Sengun, Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green did an excellent job forcing Curry into tough shots. Sengun, especially, did a great job when the Warriors tried to isolate him on Curry by setting multiple screens. Sengun routinely forced Curry away from the basket before recovering to guard the paint.

Even if the Warriors' role players make shots, it still takes the Warriors out of the flow of their offense because Curry is the engine of the entire offense. The Warriors have been a different team since Jimmy Butler was traded to them this past deadline.

The Rockets are 2-1 against the Warriors since Butler joined the team, even though he only played part of the first half in Game 2 before leaving with a pelvic contusion. Reports are that Butler avoided any serious damage but is listed as questionable.

The Warriors not having Butler changes the dynamic of the game on both ends of the court. The Rockets are already an elite defensive team, and being able to focus on one star player instead of two changes how aggressive the Rockets can be on the defensive end.

We will see if the Rockets can continue their great defensive effort on Saturday when they travel to San Francisco for Game 3 against the Warriors.