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

By Nathan Beighle

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

Rim-rolling, defensive-minded, athletic bigs

While Harden and Paul handle most of the offensive production, Clint Capela, Nene and Kenneth Faried deserve a good bit of credit for their work on the defensive end. The Rockets, not known as a defensive team, typically get solid defensive efforts from their bigs.

It’s not just what their bigs do defensively that matters though. It’s how Capela, Nene and Faried work. They just outwork the Warriors.

Capela is more athletic than Cousins and Green and understands his role within the team. It’s easy to see why they paid him the big bucks this past offseason. It’s similar for Faried and Nene. They are hustle players, and they do it better than just about anyone in the league.

Playing above the rim, the Warriors struggle in the pick-and-roll when Capela or a Rocket big is setting the screen, having to put a Curry or Thompson on the seven-foot Capela.

After losing Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute, many thought the Rockets may take a step back, and for a while, it looked like they did.

However, with Capela averaging 17.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, they look as terrifying as ever. Capela puts the Rockets at No. 17 in center scoring while the Warriors rank dead last. While not a huge stats to go off of, Capela’s influence on the Rockets-Warriors matchup seems to be growing by the game.

The Rocket bigs aren’t necessarily better than Golden State’s, but they do seem to typically outwork them.

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