James Harden has carried the Houston Rockets during a tough stretch, and it’s only going to get tougher when they visit the Golden State Warriors.
When Chris Paul went down in late December, it was seen as more bad luck heaped upon the Houston Rockets, who has seemed to be snake bitten in the early part of the season.
Then, James Harden took over.
Harden and the Rockets will look to keep their winning groove going and show the NBA that they are indeed back when they head to the toughest place in the NBA to face the defending champion Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
When Paul went down in a 101-91 loss at the Miami Heat on Dec.20, it couldn’t have come at the worst time. The Rockets were entering their toughest stretch of the season and were now without their star point guard.
But head coach Mike D’Antoni made a big move by moving Eric Gorden, the team’s offensive sparkplug off the bench, into the starting lineup, designated Houston-native Gerald Green as the sixth man, and the Rockets took off, winning their next five games entering their matchup with the Warriors.
Speaking of Golden State, it seems as if their game is starting to come back.
Rockets at Warriors live stream details
When: Thursday, Jan. 3
Time: 10:30 pm EST/9:30 pm CST/7:30 pm PST
Where: Oakland, CA
Venue: Oracle Arena
TV Info: TNT
Live Stream: Watch TNT, FuboTV (free seven-day trial)
After stumbling somewhat toward the end of 2018, the Warriors left the year with a bang, avenging a home loss to the Portland Trail Blazers and blowing out the Phoenix Suns. After their matchup with Houston, the schedule will ease up a bit, with games against the Kings, lowly Knicks and Bulls, and up-and-down Dallas ahead on them.
But first comes the Rockets, who are riding into Oakland with a wave of confidence, and a star who is on quite a roll right now. The Rockets took the first of a four-game season series in Houston, 107-86, on Nov. 15.