Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors game preview

Mar 20, 2023 - 1:00 PM

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While the Golden State Warriors don’t look capable of winning road games (their seven road wins are more than just Houston and San Antonio), no one actually thinks that trend will continue when the playoffs start. So my question is this: How does a dynasty end? Does it go out with a bang, or a whimper?

The Warriors have spent most of the season dealing with injuries or general malaise. After all, this is a championship team whose core doesn’t care about games in March. And yet, even with the struggles, we expect the Warriors to advance deep into the playoffs because no one else in the West has really captured the imagination. Until someone beats the Warriors four times out of seven, most fans don’t consider them beatable.

Maybe the Warriors just aren’t as good this year. Their stars are a little bit older and their rotation pieces are inconsistent and/or young. They finally whiffed on a draft pick (James Wiseman) and chose to give Jordan Poole a big contract over Draymond Green. Add those up and it feels like the Dubs of next year won’t look like the same team we’ll see tonight.

Anyway, Klay Thompson owns the Rockets and Draymond is a one-man wrecking crew on defense. Add in a great shooter like Steph Curry and a desperation to win a road game, and you can see tonight being a bloodbath. Take the Warriors and give up as many points as you can. The Rockets are also on a back-to-back after they looked tired on the front end. With ten games to go after tonight, I’m guessing that the young Rockets are starting to see the finish line.

Tip-off is at 7pm CT on AT&T SportsNet Southwest