Clint Capela says Rockets are ‘better than’ Warriors
By Dave Daniels
Clint Capela thinks the Houston Rockets could take the Golden State Warriors in the playoffs.
The Houston Rockets won an important game on Saturday night that could have implications when the season nears its end and the playoffs begin. The Rockets beat the Golden State Warriors 116-108, and that means Houston owns the tie-breaker if those two teams have the same record in the regular season.
The Warriors have a 3.5-game lead on the Rockets in the standings, but the players in Houston seem pretty amped about how they have stacked up against the best in the West.
Clint Capela, in particular, was feeling himself after the game.
"“We’re confident because we know if we’re doing what we’re supposed to do, we’re going to beat them,” Capela told ESPN. “Today, we were ready. I think that if we’re doing what we’re supposed to do on defense — all the switches, the weak side — and keep playing our offense by keeping that mentality all game long, we have the weapons to beat them. We are better than them.”"
James Harden is the other reason this was such a huge win for the Rockets. He is currently on a minutes restriction, which head coach Mike D’Antoni ignored a little bit on Saturday, but the point is that Harden will play even more minutes when the playoffs come.
Rockets guard Eric Gordon said that the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs was more “mentally” attainable after their latest win.
Harden, who recently recovered from a strained hamstring, recorded 22 points and eight assists, and he scored a crucial 3-pointer in the fourth quarter that stretched the lead from three to six.
Next: Which NBA Team Has The Best Uniform of All-Time?
Houston general manager Daryl Morey said in the past that he is “obsessed” with beating the Warriors, and so it’s no surprise that his players were thrilled to win two out of the three games they’ve faced each other in the regular season. The Rockets are undefeated (17-0) when they have Chris Paul, Harden, and Capela in the lineup together, and their confidence has never been higher than it is right now.