What Steph-less Warriors can take away from ugly win vs. Rockets

What Steph-less Warriors can take away from ugly win vs. Rockets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

For as good as the Warriors were over the first 24 minutes Saturday night against the Houston Rockets, they were equally as bad the next 24 at Toyota Center before persevering in overtime for a 127-121 win to begin a five-game road trip.

The long list of Warriors positives in the first half of a third consecutive game without Steph Curry and De’Anthony Melton could be unraveled and rolled to the floor. They made 24 shots on 20 assists going into halftime and only had four turnovers.

They shot the lights out from deep, shooting 60 percent while converting 12 of their 20 3-point attempts. They outrebounded the Rockets and swarmed them defensively, and their depth shone with Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield each scoring 14 points off the bench.

The Warriors held a 28-point halftime lead and were up by as many as 31 points in the first half. Their 71 points were their most in a first half all season, and their second-most in any half.

And then came the second half.

Rockets coach Ime Udoka went small, and his re-energized group flipped the script on the Warriors. Without Curry, the Warriors had nobody who could create offense. Between the second half and overtime, the Warriors made 16 shots on only six assists – four fewer than their 10 turnovers. Costly mistakes. Mental lapses. Outmatched and outhustled.

Until it mattered most.

“So proud of the guys for the way they responded to what was an onslaught from Houston in that second half, especially in the fourth quarter,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the Warriors’ win.

Scoreboards don’t have a sexy meter. Months from now, analysts, fans and observers might remember the many errors the Warriors made in even allowing the Rockets to roar back. Likely not. What they will see, and what the team will remember, is a win where the Warriors’ will was tested without their superstar on the road.

All the good vibes to kick off what has been an impressive start to the season easily could have taken a tumble with multiple fingers being pointed. But these wins are needed.

Ugly wins and the positive aura that comes from surviving them are felt in a locker room. Though this is a franchise full of dynastic moments the last decade, the Warriors aren’t ripe with a lot of overtime success – especially on the road.

The Warriors had lost their previous 11 overtime road games before extending their win streak against the Rockets to 14 consecutive games, including the last eight in Houston.

“Great experience,” Kerr said. “To win after Draymond [Green] fouls out, to win without Steph, to win on a night when the game just completely flipped … it’s great to have that game on tape. It’s great to feel it, because we’re going to have to get better when we face that kind of defense.”

Turning back the clock, the Warriors’ starting five featured Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant surrounded by Patrick McCaw, Jordan Bell and JaVale McGee when they last won a road game in overtime on Dec. 18, 2017. Omri Casspi scored 14 points off the bench, and Nick Young added 10. Just a few things have changed since then.

This is the same team that played a league-leading 48 clutch games last season. A season where Curry won Clutch Player of the Year, despite the Warriors being 24-24 in said games. They were 1-4 in clutch games he didn’t play.

There already has been one game this season that falls in the clutch category, meaning the score is within five points in the final five minutes. And that game was the Warriors’ only loss this season, falling 112-104 against the Los Angeles Clippers as Curry exited early to a sprained left ankle.

The following two games were the perfect response in beating the shorthanded New Orleans Pelicans on back-to-back nights at home. Saturday night in Houston was a gut punch provided by a young, energetic team on the rise. A blow this physically and mentally tough would have been too much to handle a season ago, Green believes.

“Last year, we would’ve smoked that game – 1,000 percent,” Green told reporters. “It’s good to see that we can pull a game out, regardless of if it had gone south or not.”

With another win in the record books, and a third straight without Curry, the needle continues pointing north for the Warriors – sexy points be damned.

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