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Dubs Struggle to Find Offense in Loss to Rockets

Established 1946 | 7-time NBA Champions

The Warriors struggled to find offense in a lopsided loss to the Rockets.

The Warriors are typically an elite offensive team, but on Thursday that wasn’t the case. They matched or set a season-low for points in first quarter (19), half (41) and game in a 107-86 loss to the Rockets in the opener of a three-game road trip.

Kevin Durant led the Dubs with 20 points and Kevon Looney played a solid game off the bench with a season-high 12 points and five rebound, all offensive, but otherwise this was a game to forget for the Dubs.

TEAM LEADERS

The Warriors actually out-shot the Rockets in the game 42 percent to 40 percent, but the difference in the game was 3-point shooting. The Dubs set a season-low with four made three-pointers on 18 attempts, while the Rockets, who entered the game with the game with the NBA’s highest percentage of points coming on threes (40 percent), knocked down 16 3-pointers.

After making four of their first five shots, the Warriors, playing again without Stephen Curry (strained left groin) struggled to find any offensive rhythm. But Houston was struggling as well, and the Dubs defense kept them in the game. It was a six-point game at the end of the first quarter and at halftime, but the Rockets opened the game up in the second half behind the play of James Harden.

The reigning NBA MVP, Harden opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer and tallied 12 of his game-high 27 points in the period, helping the Rockets to their third straight win.

More notes and numbers from Thursday's matchup:

  • Jacob Evans made his first-career three-pointer, marking career-highs in points (three) and rebounds (three), playing 11 minutes.
  • Golden State deployed its fifth unique starting lineup of the season (Durant, Green, Jones, Thompson, Iguodala).
  • Since the start of the 2014-15 season (344 games including tonight) tonight marked only the fourth time the Warriors have made four-or-fewer threes in a game (four made threes).
  • The team’s record of 12-4 is the best in the Western Conference.

UP NEXT: Losers of three of their last five games, the Warriors will look to get back on track on Saturday when they visit the Dallas Mavericks.