Golden State @ Houston preview
Toyota Center
Last Meeting ( Jan 21, 2022 ) Houston 103, Golden State 105
Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins heard the snide comments that accompanied his being selected as a starter in the All-Star Game, the first selection of his up-and-down career.
Saturday against the Brooklyn Nets, Wiggins offered another example of his worthiness for inclusion in one of the league's showcase events. He scored a team-high 24 points with eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks as Golden State held on for a 110-106 victory.
Wiggins has skillfully done a bit of everything for the Warriors, who will carry a five-game winning streak into their road meeting with the Houston Rockets on Monday.
Golden State is laden with star power, so much so that it's easy to overlook what Wiggins brings to the table.
"You hear it, but I came a long way," Wiggins said of the chatter. "I had a lot of ups and downs. I come in here, I hoop and I go home, play with my kids and my daughter and sleep in that order. I just hoop. I don't worry about the outside mess. I'm just going to keep getting better. Everyone is going to have something to say but it's just motivation to keep going, to keep getting better."
With Draymond Green missing an 11th consecutive game, the Warriors have come to rely even more on Wiggins' defensive might. His ability to handle an opposing high-scoring wing has enabled the Warriors to maintain their ranking as the best defensive team in the NBA, even without Green.
Wiggins relishes the opportunity to complement his offensive input with his defensive abilities.
"It's been important," Wiggins said. "Like I said, it's something I pride myself on. I love the challenge, I love the competitiveness, especially when it's against another team's superstar. I love to take on the challenge."
The latest challenge facing the Rockets is finding a way to win at home. Houston has dropped 10 consecutive home games, a franchise record. In their 125-110 home loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Rockets were without point guard Kevin Porter Jr. (non-COVID illness) and turned some of the facilitating responsibility to rookie guard Jalen Green.
The results were predictably uneven. Houston committed 19 turnovers, with Green responsible for three. But beyond the obvious miscues were moments of stagnation that stalled the Rockets.
"I thought we were disorganized at times just because of the nature of not having Scoot (Porter) out there," Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. "And sometimes Eric (Gordon) would just let Jalen run it where I need to do a better job of getting them better organized when Jalen has the ball and Eric is in the opposite corner. We have a few things to go to, but there were times that we were disorganized on that."
Silas and his staff have worked to reinforce the things Green and the other young Rockets have done well, using difficult losses as teaching moments. For Green, that becomes especially important during shooting slumps when different ways of impacting the game are available.
"He can play well and not make shots," Silas said of Green. "We try our best not to attach good play to whether the ball goes in or not. The details, the small things, the things that he has markedly improved on ... yeah, we highlight those things. There's a very rare film session where we don't highlight the little things, mostly positive."
--Field Level Media