The Golden State Warriors claimed Game 1 with a 95-85 victory over the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on Sunday, but it wasn't without concern as the hosts mounted a second-half fight-back after falling behind by 23.
The Rockets pulled to within three in the final period, largely thanks to their dominance on the glass led by veteran big man Steven Adams. In what was always bound to be a huge factor in the series, Houston had 22 offensive rebounds to Golden State's six, bringing them back into the game despite shooting less than 40% from the floor for the game.
The Warriors tried a shock tactic to combat the Rockets size
While the rebounding didn't become a pivotal factor until the second-half, Steve Kerr tried a shock tactic from early in the game to try and match the Rockets size and athleticism. Houston's double-big lineup of Adams and Alperun Sengun had become extremely effective over the final weeks of the regular season, causing Kerr to try one of his own in Game 1 on Sunday.
Despite playing one solitary minute together across the course of the entire 82-game regular season, Kevon Looney and Quinten Post were both out on the floor toward the end of the first-quarter. Kerr again went with the same double-big lineup briefly late in the third-quarter, by which point the Warriors were starting to get monstered on the glass.
Many Golden State fans were left stunned to see Post and Looney on the floor together, and rightly so given how rare it is for a two-man combination to be utilized for practically the very first time in such a tense playoff environment.
Going to take a wild stab that it’s been 8 years since Kevon Looney played a position other than center yet that’s exactly what he just did, playing power forward alongside Quinten Post to combat Houston’s incredibly massive Adams-Sengun-Jabari frontcourt.
— Cyrus Saatsaz (@SurfJournalist) April 21, 2025
DOUBLE BIG LINEUP LOONEY AND POST OMG PLAYOFF KERR
— Ramon ⚔️⚡️ (@RamonIsHim) April 21, 2025
I did not have Warriors going with a Quinten Post/Kevon Looney front line on my bingo card
— John Dickinson (@JDJohnDickinson) April 21, 2025
In reality Post and Looney were only on the floor together for just over two minutes, leaving it difficult to make any sweeping statements on the effectiveness of the duo. What's more concerning for the Warriors is just how ineffective their two centers were individually, particularly in comparison to Adams who was a beast on the interior.
Post and Looney combined for two total rebounds in 21 minutes, while also going without a single point on a combined 0-of-4 shooting. On the other hand, Adams himself had six points and 12 rebounds in 20 minutes, with five of his boards coming on the offensive end.
Whether it's through utilizing the double-big lineup more, or turning to the more athletic Jonathan Kuminga and/or Trayce Jackson-Davis, Kerr and the Warriors will have to get to work on a way to combat Houston's rebounding superiority in a way that will likely prove fatal in Game 2 if we see the same disparity again.