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Houston Rockets: 3 takeaways from Game 2 loss vs. Warriors

By Gavriel Wilkins

OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 30: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets handles the ball against the Golden State Warriors during Game Two of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 30, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 30: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets handles the ball against the Golden State Warriors during Game Two of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 30, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Noah Graham/Getty Images
Photo by Noah Graham/Getty Images /

3. Early turnovers prove to be too much to overcome

Despite shooting a solid 46.8 percent from the field, the Rockets would fail in their quest to make Golden State’s vaulted defense pay by committing a slew of unforced errors that would come to bear a heavy imprint on the game’s official outcome.

Houston, which shot a playoff-best 17-for-40 (42.5 percent) from beyond the arc, committed 13 turnovers in the first half that led to a string of transition scoring opportunities for the Warriors in the early going.

Golden State, which scored a total of 20 points off Houston’s 16 turnovers in Game 1, managed to match the same total in the first 24 minutes of work in Game 2. Despite allowing the Rockets to shoot a red-hot 45 percent from 3-point range, taking advantage of Clutch City’s initial miscues helped them race out to the hot start.

Although Houston managed to commit just four turnovers in the second half, failure to take care of the basketball at the game’s early onset proved to be too significant of a battle for the Rockets to overcome late on the road.

During the opening half of play, James Harden and Chris Paul combined to cough up the rock seven times, en route to Houston entering the locker room with a -5 deficit in fast break points.

Should Harden and the Rockets desire to get back into the series, they must do a better job of taking care of the basketball the rest of the way. Giving away possessions against the defending world champions could spell doom for a team that came into the season with similar aspirations themselves.

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