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The Houston Rockets, winners of West Group A, host the Golden State Warriors, winners of West Group C, in an NBA Emirates Cup quarterfinal on Wednesday at 9:30 PM on TNT.
The Warriors have been a constant thorn in the Rockets’ side, winning 15 straight games between the two teams, including eight in a row in Houston. The Rockets have not defeated Steph Curry and Co. since the 2019-2020 season. Golden State continued that streak Thursday night with a 99-93 victory at home. The Warriors have won the first two games of this year’s season series as well.
Let’s break down each team’s group play recap while previewing this matchup and making a Warriors @ Rockets NBA Emirates Cup pick.
The Warriors won their first three games in pool play to take Group C and currently sit in 5th place in the Western Conference. They defeated the Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans. Then, as part of a recent five-game losing streak, Golden State lost the group play finale to the Denver Nuggets, 119-115.
Ever the ageless wonder, Curry leads the team with 22.6 points this season, 6.6 assists and 5.6 rebounds. Those numbers have jumped slightly in cup play as Curry has averaged 23.3 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds. He started group play with a 37-point, 9-assist outburst in a 120-117 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, and he closed with 24 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds against the Nuggets.
The 36-year-old, four-time NBA champion and two-time MVP, has missed several games this season due to a sprained ankle and knee soreness, and his teammates have regularly picked up the slack. That includes the latest win over the Rockets Thursday night when Jonathan Kuminga scored a career-high 33 points. Andrew Wiggins, the team’s second-leading scorer at 17.5 points a game, had 23 in the win. Curry missed both games against Houston this season, as the Warriors won in overtime at Houston last month, 127-121. Buddy Hield scored a team-high 27 points for Golden State, while Kuminga added 23 points.
The Rockets followed the same template as the Warriors to the cup quarterfinals, winning their first three games in pool play before dropping the finale. Houston defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime before succumbing to the Sacramento Kings. That 3-1 record was good enough to win Group A.
Seven players are averaging double figures for Houston so far this season. That includes big man Alperen Sengun, the fourth-year center out of Turkey who has been a revelation for Ime Udoka’s squad. He’s followed up last season’s career-high 21.1-point, 9.3-rebound campaign by averaging a double-double this year, with 18.9 points and 10.6 rebounds a game.
Sengun leads the Rockets with 18.9 points a game in cup play, and he added 9 rebounds and 7.5 assists per contest in group play. Veteran Dillon Brooks is right behind Sengun, averaging nearly 19 points a game in cup play. Four different players – Brooks, Jabari Smith Jr., Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green – have led the team in individual scoring in the four cup games, exemplifying the team’s depth. Green leads the team at 19 points per game this season.
For the season, with the loss to Golden State Thursday night, Houston fell to 15-8 overall, good for third place in the Western Conference.
The Warriors have had an absolute stranglehold on Houston. In those 15 straight wins, Golden State’s average margin of victory is nearly 13 points. That includes 10 double-digit victories. However, two of Houston’s closest losses are the two six-point defeats this season. And the Emirate Cup’s short history is already full of upsets and unexpected results. There’s no better place for Houston to shed this streak than at home, where it’s 9-3.
While the Rockets continue to distribute the wealth, Curry is expected to be back in the lineup, and his perimeter prowess will be in demand as usual. Curry should be able to reach his season average in this cup quarterfinal.
Brian has been writing about sports professionally for 25 years, specializing in the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, men's college basketball and football, and soccer. He covered high school, collegiate and professional sports in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area for two decades. His written work has appeared in several print and online publications since 1999.