3 reasons the Golden State Warriors always struggle against the Houston Rockets

OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 3: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets handles the ball against the Golden State Warriors on January 3, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Golden State Warriors struggled against the Harden-less Houston Rockets, dropping their third game against Houston to a tune of 118-112.

The Golden State Warriors lost against the Houston Rockets in an ABC primetime game. They let the Harden-less Rockets score 15 unanswered points to start the game. This was their third loss of the season to the Rockets.

What happened? Why were they allowed to gain this advantage?

The Warriors are the league’s best team.

They need to be held accountable at the highest level, and this start was just unacceptable. The energy that they came out with was pitiful, and they looked lost as the Rockets were almost plus 20 before the Dubs even scored.

This isn’t something new for the Rockets. They were plus-19 at one point before losing the Lakers just a few nights ago. They enjoy scoring in a hurry yet have also had stretches where they fail to get timely stops. In this game, it didn’t matter as they ran by the Dubs with ease it seemed.

This isn’t a thing that’s rare when the Rockets play Golden State. Almost taking down Golden State last season, the Rockets were the first team since the 2016 Cavaliers to take the Warriors to seven games in a playoff series. They have the Warriors number, and it’s been ugly this season.

That said, why are the Rockets so effective at limiting Golden State? Let’s breakdown three reasons why they’re better than most against the Dubs.

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