Golden State Warriors face Houston Rockets at Toyota Center
Watch Golden State Warriors @ Houston Rockets live on Sky Sports Arena in the early hours of Thursday morning (12:30am)
Thursday 7 November 2019 05:05, UK
The injury-riddled Golden State Warriors take on the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center in the early hours of Thursday morning, live on Sky Sports.
Live NBA: Golden State @ Houston
The story of the Warriors' early season has been devastating injuries. Golden State (2-5) have already lost Stephen Curry and Draymond Green for extended periods after entering the campaign knowing Klay Thompson would be missing for most, if not all, of the season as well.
However, despite all the odds stacked against them, the Warriors managed an impressive 127-118 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night. Eric Paschall led the way with 34 points, adding 13 rebounds and a block. Ky Bowman delivered 19 points, eight assists and four rebounds.
The Warriors will list D'Angelo Russell (ankle) as questionable to face the Rockets. Curry (hand), Green (finger), Thompson (knee), Jacob Evans (hip) and Kevon Looney (hamstring) all remain out.
The Rockets (4-3) opened their season with three wins over their first four games before hitting a two-game skid, which they snapped with a 107-100 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night.
James Harden led the way with 44 points and added 10 rebounds, six assists, two steals and one block to his team-high scoring tally. Eric Gordon drew the start with Russell Westbrook out and finished with 16 points, five boards, one assist and one steal. Clint Capela mustered a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double that included two assists and one steal.
The Rockets have confirmed Michael Frazier (ankle) and Nene Hilario (hip) will remain out.
The Rockets won the 2018-19 regular-season series between the teams by a 3-1 margin before the Warriors notched a 4-2 series victory in the Western Conference semi-finals.
Last time out
Numbers game
113.6 and 117.6 - Those figures are the respective defensive ratings (points allowed per 100 possessions) of the Rockets and Warriors, numbers that rank them 28th and 30th in the league.
Neither team has played much defense this season and that isn't likely to change any time soon so the likelihood of a high-octane, high-scoring encounter at Toyota Center appears very high.
One to watch (Warriors): Jordan Poole
The rookie guard, who team-mate Klay Thompson told Inside The NBA had beaten him in some shooting drills, registered 16 points, five assists, three rebounds and one block in the Warriors' win over the Blazers.
He is taking an average of 5.7 three-pointers per game and is making 1.9. With the Warriors' roster stretched to breaking point, there will be plenty of opportunities for Poole to develop his game this season.
One to watch: (Rockets): Danuel House
The Rockets lack of roster depth means House is likely to continue to see good minutes despite the return of Eric Gordon.
Against the Grizzlies, House tallied 15 points, nine boards, one assist, three blocks and one steal in 36 minutes.
For the season, the small forward has drained 17 three-pointers in his seven appearances this season and boasts an impressive 40.5 three-point shooting percentage.
