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Golden State Warriors exposed Rockets’ greatest flaw

By Tony Pesta

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 25: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets reacts after a teammate was called for a foul against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on December 25, 2019 in San Francisco, 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 the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 25: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets reacts after a teammate was called for a foul against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on December 25, 2019 in San Francisco, 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 the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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The Golden State Warriors spoiled Christmas Day for Houston and may have exposed the Rockets’ greatest flaw.

In a win that few saw coming, the Golden State Warriors upset the Houston Rockets 116-104 on Christmas Day.

The Warriors, sitting at the bottom of the league standings, found a way to stun the Rockets who have championship aspirations for this season. How did a lottery team manage to dominate Houston for the entirety of Christmas Day?

Well, big production from nearly every key player certainly helped. The Dubs had three players score above 20 points and five total in double-digits. Damion Lee led the team with 22 points, 15 rebounds and 3 steals on 5-of-9 shooting from the field.

Even so, the Warriors needed something else to put them over the top. It was a designed game plan from Steve Kerr that helped the Warriors come out on top.

With James Harden in the midst of a historic scoring run, the Warriors knew they had to slow him down in order to win this game. Harden is averaging a career-high 38.1 points per game and has recorded 50 or more points in five games this season.

Heading into his matchup with the Warriors, many expected Harden to explode. The Warriors anticipated this as well, electing to send double-teams at the 2018 MVP every chance they had.

Each time Harden had the ball, the Warriors sent extra coverage to deter him from shooting. Opting to pass to a teammate rather than forcing a shot, Harden finished the game with just 18 field goal attempts, making it just the 10th game this season in which he attempted less than 20 shots.

Harden shot an efficient 6-of-10 from the 3-point line but scored just 24 points, his third-lowest mark of the season. As for his teammates, Russell Westbrook led all scorers with 30 points on an atrocious 11-of-32 shooting.

The rest of the Rockets starting lineup combined for 12-of-32 shooting while the bench contributed just 15 points. Overall, the Warriors gameplan of taking the ball out of Harden’s hands was the reason for their victory.

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The Warriors have now won three straight games and are looking competitive again. They may finish the season as a lottery team but we have at least seen some growth.

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