Off the back of a defeat in the opening matchup, the Houston Rockets will go in search of parity in their playoff bout against the Golden State Warriors when the sides renew hostilities at the Toyota Center on Thursday.
Tallying their lowest points in a competitive game since March 2021 last time out, the home side put on a shambolic display en route to a 95-85 defeat and simply cannot afford another underwhelming outing.
Match preview
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Albeit with no significant ramifications, the Houston Rockets lost each of their final three regular-season involvements, but there was hardly any cause for concern as they had already secured the number two seed in the Western Conference behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Coach of the Year nominee Ime Udoka and his men were handed a tricky playoff opener against the Golden State Warriors in a classic case of youth versus experience, and the team from Houston had every reason to be confident having beaten the Warriors in the most recent matchup.
A narrow 21-18 advantage after the first quarter had the Rockets on the right path to an opening victory before they were outscored by 16 points in the subsequent 12 minutes from which they never quite recovered.
Continuing the upward trajectory that he has shown all season long, Alperen Sengun notched a team-high 26 points on 11-18 shooting along with nine rebounds, finishing one board shy of a double-double on his playoff debut.
Sengun was the only Rocket to have put up more than 11 points in Sunday's Game One defeat, and the Turkey international will need the rest of his teammates to rise to the occasion if they are to avoid an early postseason exit.
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Having missed out on automatic playoff qualification courtesy of a defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers in their regular-season finale, the Golden State Warriors had to navigate the challenge of the Memphis Grizzlies in a play-in matchup to clinch the seventh seed in the West.
Nonetheless, Steve Kerr's men remained one of the teams to look out for as Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler prepared for their first playoff journey together since the latter joined from the Miami Heat in February.
Picking up from where they left off against the Grizzlies, Curry and Butler were both instrumental for the Warriors in their win on Sunday with 31 and 25 points respectively, including 12 of their team's 26 points in the final 12 minutes of play.
Typically renowned for their deadliness from beyond the arc, the Warriors knocked down twice as many three-pointers (12) as their opponents (6) last time out and will know that the three-point shot remains arguably their most probable route to victory.
The 2022 champions have now won seven straight matches away from home, and with each of their last three defeats on enemy territory all coming against Eastern Conference opponents, Thursday's visitors will back themselves to silence the crowd once again and take a commanding 2-0 series lead.
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Team News
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Jae'Sean Tate missed each of the final two matches of the regular season due to a right ankle injury, and the 29-year-old remains out of contention for the Houston Rockets.
Jock Landale could also miss out for the home side here due to a knee problem, but Jabari Smith Jr is back available having returned to the fold on Sunday.
With Moses Moody shaking off an injury scare to feature against the Grizzlies, the Warriors have no injury concerns for the start of their playoff campaign.
Jimmy Butler continued his fine start to life in a Warriors jersey with the most steals in a playoff debut in franchise history (five) on Sunday, making him one to keep an eye on at both ends of the court.
Houston Rockets possible starting 5:
VanVleet, Green; Thompson, Brooks; Sengun
Golden State Warriors possible starting 5:
Curry, Moody; Podziemski, Butler; Green
We say: Rockets to win by 6+ points
The Rockets will head into this one with significant pressure on their backs, as going further behind in the series at this stage would all but spell their elimination.
We can see the home side levelling matters with a hard-fought win come the end of the 48 minutes of play.
Joshua Ojele
