Nobody can question the fight and competitive spirit of the injury-depleted Warriors. The latest example came Thursday night in Houston against the Rockets in what easily was their best win of the season, 115-113, in overtime at Toyota Center.
No Steph Curry, no Jimmy Butler, no Kristaps Porzingis and much more. Half of the Warriors’ active roster was hurt in a game where they only had 10 healthy players, including all three of their two-way contracts.
The Warriors led the entire game until 43.8 seconds were remaining in the third quarter. They then outscored the Rockets by one in the fourth quarter and two in overtime. So many chances to waive the white flag, and that never was an option for these Warriors to begin a three-game road trip.
Brandin Podziemski led the Warriors with 26 points, and De’Anthony Melton was right behind with 23. All five Warriors scored in double figures.
Kevin Durant dropped 23 points for the Rockets, but Reed Sheppard led all scorers with 30 points. Sheppard has two 30-point games this season, and both have been against the Warriors.
Here are three takeaways from a Warriors win that improved their record to 32-30.
Melton’s Highs And Lows
From top to bottom, the entire Warriors roster has felt Curry’s absence. Being down Curry and Butler, and even Porzingis, has added extra pressure on Melton as more of a go-to scorer.
The numbers show how much it has affected Melton. He went all of February, in which Curry missed the entire month, shooting 39.8 percent from the field and 28.8 percent from 3-point range. In the previous two games before Thursday night, Melton scored a combined 17 points on 6-of-26 shooting.
But two and a half minutes into the fourth quarter, Melton was up to 18 points and had made eight shots. He had some poorly timed fouls late in the fourth, and also a huge three. Positives far outweighed any negatives.
Melton’s 10 first-quarter points were the reason why the Warriors led by 10 going into the second quarter. He had great stretches and head-scratching mistakes. He didn’t start overtime and also played a season-high 30 minutes.
It all came down to Melton’s tip-in with five seconds remaining that gave the Warriors a three-point lead.
Draymond Locks In
With six-plus minutes left in the game and the Warriors down by two points, Draymond Green and Durant were back on the floor battling each other. There wasn’t any drama between the two. No fireworks, but a whole lot of competitive basketball.
The Warriors’ defense fell off without Green on Monday night in a loss against the LA Clippers. Having him in the game again made a major difference in Houston. Stopping Durant isn’t the goal, contain him is. Not only did Green contain him, he also made his former teammate sweat for everything.
Durant was at only 17 points at the end of regulation, which is a win in its own right. Leading the Warriors with eight assists, Green was a plus-12 while Durant was a minus-5. Durant also missed two crucial free throws down the stretch in OT. The Warriors were a minus-10 in 18-plus minutes without Green, and their defensive rating went from a 104.5 when he was on the court to a 141.9 without him.
He stuffed the stat sheet, yet this was a game that had to be watched to appreciate what Green can still do one day after turning 36 years old.
Cryer Gets The Call
Just eight days ago, Malevy Leons impressed many with his first chance at early minutes in a Warriors win against the Grizzlies in Memphis. On Monday, it was Nate Williams’ time to shine. Back in the place where he starred collegiately, Thursday night was LJ Cryer’s time to show he belongs.
The third and final Warrior on a two-way contract had missed the Warriors’ previous 14 games, as well as the Santa Cruz Warriors’ last 12 games, because of hamstring and knee injuries. But when healthy, Cyrer has shone in the G League. Cryer’s first shot in his fourth NBA game was a deep three that splashed through the nets as a sight Houston became plenty familiar with during his last two years of college.
Cryer spent three seasons at Baylor and two at Houston, where he was presented with his Big 12 championship/Final Four rings Wednesday night after the Cougars’ win over his first school.
In the third quarter, Cyrer’s shooting prowess was back in the spotlight. The short but unafraid guard knocked down two threes in front of the Warriors’ bench, and Steve Kerr was loving it. Cryer started overtime for his offense, too, and quickly made Kerr look like a genius with a three. He scored 12 points and made four 3-pointers in 20 minutes off the bench.
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