Houston Rockets: 3 takeaways from Game 2 vs. Warriors

With their championships dreams arguably on the line, the Houston Rockets came out on a mission in Game 2, evening up the conference finals at one game apiece.

Heading into Game 2 of their Western Conference Finals matchup, the Houston Rockets couldn’t afford to go down 0-2 against the Golden State Warriors.

Beating the Warriors is tough enough already, but having to beat that juggernaut four out of five times without home-court advantage would’ve been the tallest of tasks.

Luckily for the Rockets and their fans, it never came to that, as Houston bounced back from a disheartening Game 1 loss to even up the series by a final score of 127-105 in Game 2.

In between Games 1 and 2, Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni was very adamant about not altering his team’s style of play, as many had criticized Houston’s lack of ball and player movement — something that’s been a staple of Golden State’s greatness over the years.

Whether by pure coincidence or a concerted effort to make adjustments, the Rockets played like a different team in Game 2, upping their assists in the form of extra passes and off-ball movement, and increasing their scoring as a result of the faster pace.

James Harden finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds, but it was Houston’s supporting cast that stepped up, in the form of P.J. Tucker and Eric Gordon, who combined to score 49 points in the victory.

Despite a win that saw the lead grow as large as 29, the Rockets are by no means in the driver’s seat, as they relinquished home-court advantage with the next two games in the Bay Area.

They have their work cut out for them, but Game 2 was an encouraging sign.