With the Golden State Warriors victory tonight, Steve Kerr now owns the NBA record for the best start to a coaching career at 19-2, passing legendary coach Red Auerbach who began his coaching career 18-2.
Both the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets were without their respective shot blockers, Andrew Bogut and Dwight Howard. Even so, the game plans for each team didn't seem to change much as both teams stayed on the perimeter for much of the game instead of testing the interior defenses. Houston shot 9-of-35 from threes while Golden State wasn't quite as reliant on the three ball, shooting 23 threes and making only eight.
Houston came out of the gate firing on all cylinders and burst out to a 30-23 lead after the first quarter. On the other side, Golden State looked lost in the beginning, playing their first full game of the season without Andrew Bogut. Not only does Bogut anchor the defense, but he also has a lot of the offense run through him. He is often used in pick and roll situations as both the roller and the passer due to his great vision and playmaking ability for a big man. In addition, Bogut sets huge screens, allowing the teams sharp shooters, such as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, to hide behind and take open jump shots.
The game evened out in the second quarter, as both teams were mired by long scoreless stretches. Golden State's defense tightened up and allowed only 16 points in the quarter, while their offense was still much to be desired, as they were limited to only 23 points in the second. The game was tied at 46 at half.
For much of the game, the teams were going back-and-forth with very little separation. It looked as if the game would come down to which team would be able to execute best in the last minute or two of the game, but that was not the case.
The momentum completely switched in favor of Golden State at the 9:02 mark in the fourth quarter. Down 87-90, Steve Kerr elected to go extremely small with Draymond Green at center along with Harrison Barnes, Shaun Livingston, Klay Thompson, and Stephen Curry. The game remained close until the 4:45 mark when the game was tied at 89, but it was all Warriors since then, as they finished the game off on a 16-4 run, pulling away with a 105-93 victory.
Klay Thompson led Golden State with 21 points on 8-of-18 shooting, four rebounds, and four assists. Stephen Curry had his usual solid game with 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting, seven rebounds, and seven assists. Harrison Barnes arguably had his best game of the season with 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting and seven rebounds.
James Harden did his best to lead his team to victory by scoring 34 points on 14-of-27 shooting, grabbing eight rebounds, dishing out four assists, and stealing the ball four times, but it ultimately wasn't enough to get the win. Trevor Ariza and Donatas Motiejunas each chipped in 18 points in a losing effort.
Steve Kerr keeps making the right moves at the right times and the team's 19-2 record is a testament to that. A 14-game winning streak is proof that the opposition is still having difficulty trying to solve this Golden State team.
Golden State will look to bring their winning streak to 15 games on Saturday, December 15, when they arrive in Dallas to face the Mavericks. Houston will look to bounce back against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, December 11.