NBA Western Conference takes off with Warriors V/S Rockets Playoffs

Finally, the NBA Western Conference has officially started. In the conducted NBA Play-In tournament, the Golden State Warriors earned a seven seed after cruising past the Memphis Grizzlies. The Houston Rockets not having any premier player on the roster made them earn the second seed in the conference. Making two teams—the Rockets and Warriors—to face off in the first game of the NBA Western Conference, held in Toyota Center, Houston.

The Golden State Warriors took the lead in the first game, thanks to Stephen Curry’s 31 points and Jimmy Butler’s 25 points, with a score of 95-85, winning against the Houston Rockets. The third quarter was also controlled by the Warriors. Curry’s shot at the end of the shot clock with 6:52 left in the match left the biggest lead at 64-41 for the Warriors and Rockets. The Houston Rockets scored a 17-3 run before the beginning of the quarter, reducing the gap in score to nine. The Golden State were out-rebounded by the Houston Rockets, Alperen Sengun’s 26 points and Jabari Smith’s 11 points making it 54-34, but this advantage was utilized less, as only 39% of shots were made. The Rockets’ leading scorer, Jalen Green, and Fred VanVleet made 7-34 for 17 points combined.

The team Houston Rockets includes the young players in its core team. Players like Alperen Şengün and Jalen Green have found consistency throughout the season, but with several young players with a lack of experience, the game can go downhill playing against the veterans of the Golden State Warriors.

The former NBA superstar champion Shaquille O’Neal stated his leanings towards the team through predicting the winner prior to the match. He stated, “I like Golden State over Houston because of experience; I like the experience over youth.” The former champion has agreed that the Rockets have been a surprise this season due to their aggressive and fearless game. But the Warriors, with their veteran players and experience, have more of an upper hand to win the game.