Houston Rockets: Five Keys To Winning Game 2 vs Golden State

Mar 9, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston (34), guard Stephen Curry (30) and Klay Thompson (11) against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Warriors defeated the Suns 98-80. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Houston vs Small Warriors

To say Houston struggled with the Warriors’ small lineup in Game 1 would be a huge understatement. It could be greatly attributed to the true reason why the Rockets lost, probably.

In Game 1, the Warriors were plus-18 with a small lineup against Houston. The combination of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Shaun Livingston destroyed the Rockets in Game 1. Despite Thompson’s less than stellar Game 1 performance — he finished with 15 points on 6-18 shooting — the Warriors didn’t feel the drop-off thanks to a 18-point effort from Livingston, who also finished with a team-high plus-16 while he was on the court.

If Houston can’t counter Golden State’s small lineup by punishing them with Dwight Howard inside, the Rockets are going to need to equate the stakes by going small themselves. The only problem with that is that the Rockets might not have as many quality bodies as the Warriors.

If Dwight isn’t impactful during these circumstances, advantage Warriors.

Next: Incredible Steph