It was just over three weeks ago when Steph Curry blitzed the Rockets with a barrage of late 3-pointers at Toyota Center. That clutch road victory by the Golden State Warriors dropped Houston to a season-worst mark of 0-3 to begin the 2023-24 “Liftoff” campaign.
But led by new head coach Ime Udoka, Houston has improved dramatically in the weeks since, having won six of eight games after that loss. Monday’s matchup offers an opportunity for revenge against the most dominant franchise of the league’s current era.
At the moment, Golden State certainly isn’t looking like the legacy Warriors. They enter with six consecutive losses and are missing defensive ace Draymond Green due to a league suspension.
The Rockets aren’t playing poorly, but they enter with two straight losses. Both came in the final seconds in Los Angeles versus the Clippers (on Friday) and the Lakers (on Sunday).
After missing two weeks to start the season with a stress reaction in his left lower leg, reserve Rockets forward Tari Eason is expected to sit out in Golden State. It’s the second night of a back-to-back and the third game in four nights for Houston, which still has Eason on something of a minutes limitation as he works his way back.