NBA Game Of The Week: Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors

This Thursday, Dec. 5th the Houston Rockets (15-7) Will travel to the Bay to Battle the Golden State Warriors (12-8) in a matchup between two teams that have been performing far above expectations this season.

Many thought that Houston, who was in the midst of a rebuild last season, would need 1 or 2 more seasons to get on their feet again after the departure of long-time star James Harden in 2021.

We saw a glimpse of what was to come towards the end of last year, with the Rockets going on a 16-7 run to finish out the regular season, nearly making a Play-In berth after being far behind the Warriors in 10th.

The main engine of the Rockets is through their budding star Alperen Sengun, who at just 22 years old is getting comparisons to Nikola Jokic, which is about as good as you can get.

His playmaking is the highlight of his game, able to create openings and space for scorers like Jalen Green and Fred VanVleet who are lethal from all over the court

One more star who has seen a huge breakout in his sophomore year is Amen Thompson, who was underwhelming as a rookie but has since found his space and is now one of the league’s premier defensive wings, who can also score the ball efficiently in the paint.

For the Warriors, many thought that the team was finally due for its inevitable dark ages after so many years of greatness, especially after losing a piece of its soul in Klay Thompson going to the Mavericks.

Stephen Curry, now entering his late 30’s has been just as good as ever, although playing a few less minutes than he did before, thanks in part to the new addition to ‘replace’ Thompson in Buddy Hield.

Speaking of Hield, he has had an amazing start to the year and is the biggest reason for the team’s success. Shooting a calm 44% from 3 on almost 8 attempts a game has allowed Curry to have less of a scoring burden and focus a little more on playmaking.

Someone who has also been developing on the Warriors is sophomore season center Trayce Jackson-Davis, who could become a solid piece in the team’s inevitable rebuild soon.

As for their matchup this Thursday, the game comes down to: How do the Rockets stop Curry on the perimeter, and how do the Warriors prevent themselves from getting bullied in the paint?

The answers to this rely on the young players I mentioned earlier: Amen Thompson and Trayce Jackson-Davis.

I believe these teams are on the same playing field as far as skill, so this one comes down to experience and consistency and for that, I lean towards Golden State.

Pick: Golden State Warriors

Chris Vadnais is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email cmv5562@psu.edu.