James Harden, Russell Westbrook Lead Rockets to 135-105 Blowout over Warriors

The Houston Rockets outscored the host Golden State Warriors 38-17 in the first quarter en route to a 135-105 win on Thursday at Chase Center in San Francisco.

James Harden led Houston with 29 points, and Russell Westbrook added 21. Both had 10 assists.

The Rockets made 25-of-49 three-pointers, led by five each from Robert Covington and P.J. Tucker.

Houston had 15 threes in the first half alone.

Andrew Wiggins paced the Warriors with 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting.

The 35-20 Rockets have won six of their last eight games, and the 12-44 Warriors have dropped five straight.

Notable Performances

Rockets G James Harden: 29 PTS, 10 AST, 3 STL

Rockets G Russell Westbrook: 21 PTS, 10 AST, 5 REB

Rockets F Robert Covington: 20 PTS, 5 REB, 4 BLK

Warriors F Andrew Wiggins: 22 PTS, 3 REB, 2 BLK

Warriors G Jordan Poole: 19 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST

Warriors F Draymond Green: 4 PTS, 7 AST, 4 REB

Rockets' Complementary Pieces Excel Once Again

The Rockets' small-ball era is officially eight matchups old after ex-center Clint Capela played his last game in Houston on Jan. 29 prior to a trade deadline deal with the Atlanta Hawks.

Houston stands 6-2 in that stretch. The two losses: a 114-113 defeat to the Utah Jazz after Bojan Bogdanovic hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer and a 127-91 road loss to the Phoenix Suns on the tail end of a back-to-back set sans Russell Westbrook.

Otherwise, the Rockets have been quite impressive, outscoring their losing opponents by an average of 13.5 points per game. The stretch includes victories over three future playoff teams in the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks.

Harden and Westbrook have been productive as usual, but the rest of the team's starters have stepped up in the absence of a true big man who can provide an easy source of points and rebounds.

A different player (or players) has complemented the Rockets' superstar backcourt during each win.

It was P.J. Tucker's turn on Thursday, as he went 5-of-5 from three-point range in the first half to help the Rockets shoot a blistering 15-of-26 from deep before the break.

Newly acquired Robert Covington excelled as well on both ends yet again with 20 points and four blocks.

And he was the hero the game before in a 116-105 win over the Boston Celtics with seven combined steals and blocks.

Those two aren't the only ones who have gotten in on the act, however, as Danuel House Jr. scored 22 to help the Westbrook-less Rockets beat the Charlotte Hornets 125-110 on February 5.

Thanks in part to those players, the Rockets' three-point barrage has simply buried teams.

On Thursday, Houston outscored Golden State 45-3 from behind the three-point line alone in the first half and hit 13 three-pointers before Golden State made one. The Warriors led for just 47 seconds en route to a blowout loss that was over at the end of the first quarter.

And the Rockets did this with Tucker as the team's de facto small-ball center at 6'6".

It's not exactly common to see centers stand in the corner hoping that they get a kick-out pass for a three, but that's the case with Houston, which used that strategy to perfection on Thursday.

Granted, Golden State is the league's worst team, but one of the postseason's top questions has already been written: Will this Rockets' strategy work come playoff time?

That remains to be seen, but for now, they look far more cohesive throughout their rotation than at any point this year.

Warriors Inch Closer to Best Lottery Odds and Brighter Days

The San Antonio Spurs missed the playoffs just once between 1990 to 2019 during a 1996-97 season when Basketball Hall of Fame center David Robinson played just six games due to injury. Leading scorer Sean Elliott also missed more than half the season as well.

Prospects looked bright in 1997-98, however, with the two returning from injury and the addition of a high lottery pick coming their way.

They ended up winning the lottery and choosing future Basketball Hall of Famer Tim Duncan, who proceeded to lead the Spurs to five NBA titles.

The Warriors are in a similar spot right now.

Like the 1996-97 Spurs, they're coming off a stretch of sustained success.

Like the 1996-97 Spurs, they're going to finish with one of the worst records in the league.

And like the 1996-97 Spurs, they're missing star players and will have a top pick in the draft. 

The Warriors have had no choice but to ride out the storm this season with Klay Thompson (torn ACL) missing the whole year and Stephen Curry (broken left hand) out for all but four games thus far.

But brighter days await with those two coming back and joining a team with Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and a to-be-determined top draft prospect—if they don't trade the pick—for 2020-21 by virtue of assuredly finishing on the high end of the lottery odds ledger.

Early returns on 2020's NBA draft class aren't on par with other recent years, but Georgia guard Anthony Edwards and ex-Memphis big man James Wiseman lead an intriguing pool of talent at the top end. Both could fit with the Warriors as they look to rebuild behind their core of Curry, Thompson, Wiggins and Green for next year.

Ultimately, this season is a lost cause for the Warriors, but it's possible the 2019-20 season was a momentary blip on the radar en route to better days ahead.

What's Next?

Golden State will continue its four-game homestand against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Houston will visit the Utah Jazz on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET in Salt Lake City's Vivint Smart Home Arena.