With star guard Stephen Curry sidelined due to an ankle injury, the Golden State Warriors atoned for the missing firepower on offense with stingy defense in their most recent game.
Golden State clamped down on the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday to win 104-89 and sweep the teams’ back-to-back set. The Warriors will aim for another dominant defensive display on Saturday when they visit the Houston Rockets to begin a five-game road trip.
Curry missed both games against New Orleans after suffering a left peroneal strain during Golden State’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. The Warriors fell behind by 20 points on Tuesday in their first game without the two-time MVP before rallying to win 124-106.
The next night, Golden State held the Pelicans to 36.7 percent shooting and surrendered their second-fewest points in a game this season.
Draymond Green was the fulcrum defensively with five blocked shots — his most in a game in three years. Four of those blocks came against All-Star Zion Williamson, who shot a career-worst 25 percent from the floor (5 for 20).
But Green wasn’t alone in setting a rugged defensive tone for the Warriors.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr also touted fellow forward Kyle Anderson, noting his ability to dissect the game and how that influences what the Warriors can script on the defensive end. The tandem of Green and Anderson gives Golden State ample defensive versatility, making the absence of Curry easier to manage.
“We’re able to be a little more aggressive,” Kerr said. “We didn’t turn them over like we did (Tuesday) but we do have more ability to blitz and trap and be a little more aggressive on the ball.”
The Rockets passed an early-season test on Thursday with their 108-102 road win over the Dallas Mavericks, the type of game Houston may have fumbled away last season.
After storming to a 23-point lead late in the third quarter, the visitors held on for dear life down the stretch. Dallas shaved seven points off the deficit by the end of the third and the Rockets made just one field goal over the opening five-plus minutes of the fourth. But after the Mavericks closed to within 100-97, Houston steadied itself in time to secure the win.
Guard Jalen Green was again the linchpin for the Rockets, scoring twice on daring forays to the rim to end the early fourth-period drought. Green then drilled a 3-pointer in the waning moments to put Houston up 103-97 before Amen Thompson and Dillon Brooks produced turnaround jumpers that finally stifled the Mavericks for good.
While Jalen Green (23 points, 12 rebounds) and Alperen Sengun (17 points, 12 boards) recorded double-doubles, four others scored in double figures for the Rockets. It was the type of collective effort that Houston lacked occasionally last season, a performance that bodes well for the team’s future.
“This is a good barometer for us as far as a test (against) a team that was in the finals last year and that’s come out pretty good this year so far,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said.
“It was a great start, obviously. I think our physicality and our attention to detail were really good early. Other than that lull at the start of the fourth — credit them for hitting big shots and getting themselves back in it — I thought we played really well. And it was good to see us withstand that and come out with the victory. At times last year, we’ve given games like that away.”
