The Warriors begin a four-game road trip on Friday night against the Houston Rockets.
Warriors at RocketsFriday, Jan. 205:00 p.m.Toyota CenterHouston, TX
TV: CSN Bay Area, ESPN
RADIO: 95.7 The Game, Warriors Radio Network
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Warriors begin a four-game road trip on Friday night against the Houston Rockets. This will be the second of four matchups between the two teams, after Houston prevailed in double overtime in their only prior encounter back on December 1st. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. (Pacific). Watch the action on CSN Bay Area and ESPN, or listen to the call on 95.7 The Game and the Warriors Radio Network.
LAST TIME OUT
Kevin Durant notched his first 40-point game as a member of the Warriors in Golden State's 121-100 victory over the Thunder on Wednesday night. Full Recap
MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
GSW
36-6
1st in West
117.8 PPG (1st)
45.3 RPG (5th)
31.4 APG (1st)
HOU
33-12
3rd in West
114.5 PPG (2nd)
44.4 RPG (8th)
25.6 APG (2nd)
PROJECTED STARTERS
GSW: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Zaza Pachulia
HOU: James Harden, Patrick Beverley, Trevor Ariza, Ryan Anderson and Clint Capela
INJURY & ROSTER NOTES
GSW: David West (non-displaced fracture, left thumb) is out. Team Notes
HOU: Ryan Anderson (Flu) is questionable. Chinanu Onuaku is assigned to the D-League. Team Notes
DOMINANT DURANT
There are numerous players currently in the NBA that are capable of scoring 40 points in a game. The amount of players that can do it on 16 shots, however? That’s another story. Kevin Durant put together one of the most efficient 40-point games in the history of the league in the Warriors’ victory over the Thunder on Wednesday night, scoring those 40 points on 13-of-16 shooting from the field. In doing so, he became the first Warriors player in the Shot Clock Era to score 40+ points on 16 or fewer field goal attempts. His three misses on the night were a half-court heave to beat the quarter buzzer, a botched dunk after taking off one foot inside the free throw line, and a heat check that rattled out. He was 3-of-6 from the field when creating his own shot, but a perfect 10-of-10 after a teammate passed him the ball. He’s now averaging 28.4 points per game over the last seven games on 57.8 percent from the field and 45.2 percent from three-point range, to go along with 8.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists. That would seem to indicate he’s picking up steam, which couldn’t come at a better time as the Warriors embark on a road trip that will have them play in four different cities in a span of six days.
TEAM LEADERS
GSW
PTS: Durant (26.2)
REB: Green (8.7)
AST: Green (7.7)
HOU
PTS: Harden (28.9)
REB: Harden (8.3)
AST: Harden (11.6)
HOUSTON SCOUTING REPORT
There isn’t a more pleasant surprise in the NBA this season than the Rockets, who have turned things around under the leadership of Mike D’Antoni. At 33-12, the Rockets are comfortably in the playoff picture, just a game back of San Antonio for the second seed in the West. James Harden is quite possibly the league’s leading MVP candidate, and along with Russell Westbrook, is one of two players in the NBA to rank in the top-two in both scoring and assists per game. Houston takes far and away the most three-pointers in the league, and their average of 40.0 per game is at least seven attempts more than any other team in the league. The Warriors aren’t exactly gun-shy when it comes to hoisting from long range either, and both sides put up 44 three-point attempts in their last encounter, which the Rockets won 132-127 in double overtime. Golden State is easily the best team in the league at defending the three-pointer, holding their opponents to just 32.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc this season, and the degree to which they’re able to limit the Rockets from the outside will go a long way towards determining who comes out of Friday’s game with a victory.