Houston Rockets: 3 takeaways from 2017-18 season opener

In a much anticipated opening night game, the Houston Rockets stunned the Golden State Warriors. What are three key takeaways from the game?

In their first game of the 2017-18 NBA season, the Houston Rockets defeated the Golden State Warriors, 122-121 . As expected, the game was full of highlights and featured two offensive juggernauts. However, in the end, the Rockets escaped after playing solid defense in the fourth quarter and Kevin Durant being 0.2 seconds too late on a potential game-winner.

James Harden led the way with 27 points, 10 assists and six rebounds, shooting 10-for-23 from the floor, while Eric Gordon was terrific off the bench, finishing with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting. P.J. Tucker added 20 points and six rebounds off the bench, while Luc Mbah a Moute chipped in 14.

Although this was just one game out of an 82-game regular season, there are some interesting things to take away from the game and more importantly, to keep an eye on moving forward.

From defensive lapses to the integration of Chris Paul, the Rockets struggled in certain key areas Tuesday night. It is important to note that integrating a player such as Paul doesn’t just happen overnight, so some awkward stretches were to be expected.

Also, playing the Warriors (especially in your first game of the season) can really highlight and bring out a team’s flaws in ways other good teams simply can’t. When at their best, the Warriors are simply on another level, making it a hard first game for a team integrating several new pieces, like the Rockets. Luckily, the contest also brought to light quite a few of Houston’s strengths in the surprising road win.

With that being said, let’s focus on three specific takeaways from the opening night win and what you should keep your eye on moving forward.