Chris Paul Electric as the rockets beat Kevin Durant, Warriors Without James Harden | Bleacher's report

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Chris Paul had 23 points and 17 assists while the Houston Rockets defeated the Golden State Warriors 118-112 Saturday at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.

Houston was without MVP candidate James Harden, who sat down with a cervical strain. Warriors forward Draymond Green was forced to leave early in the fourth quarter sprained on the left ankle.

Eric Gordon led the Rockets with 25 points and Kenneth Faried added a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Kevin Durant scored 29 points for the 42-17 Warriors, who have lost just three of their last 20 games.

The 34-25 Rockets broke a two-game losing streak.

The Rockets can not make a playoff play without a pick, Chris Paul

In October, Paul told reporters that he could not "throw the ball into the ocean". A sequence of seven games from October 26th to November 10th did not please General Rockets, as he managed only 34.9% of his shots. He also scored 36.8% of his goals in December.

These struggles are now distant memories and the rest of Paul's game is at its peak.

Paul has 46 points, 26 assists, 15 rebounds and three steals in his last two games. He also said the Rockets, who scored the first 15 points of the game, were victorious Saturday, although Vegas Insider called them outsiders at 12 points.

He shot seven times out of 18, but that did not matter, because he showed why he could be a serious problem for the Warriors or for any other eliminating team.

It should be noted that his ability to put passes in tight windows could be unrivaled for any NBA player:

The first returns of the formation of the Warriors with DeMarcus Cousins keeping the fort low was not great.

By Anthony Slater from The Athletic, this group of five was a minus nine after 130 minutes together. Slater also noted that Cousins ​​has been in serious problem in nine of the 13 games.

This last fact is a little embarrassing given that Cousins ​​is subject to a minute restriction since returning to mid-January and that it still has not exceeded 30 minutes, even with the limit lifted after the All-Star break. Cousins ​​also had a negative plus-minus in seven of his 13 games, although the Warriors are 11-2 with the big man on the ground this year.

A defeat against the Harden Rockets less at home with their remaining five players intact would not inspire much self-confidence, but there are a few things to keep in mind.

The cousins ​​suffered an Achilles rupture and were absent for almost a whole calendar year. It's not easy coming back, especially for a nine-year veteran. He has played only 13 games and has shown flashes of gold medalist All-Star and Olympic Games that has dominated in recent years.

In addition, Cousins ​​and his teammates need time to develop their chemistry. There is no magic wand that will instantly form the starting unit in the best version of itself immediately.

They are also still in charge of the Western Conference, with 1.5 games ahead of the Denver Nuggets for the favorite. The playoffs do not start for a month and a half, so there is enough time for the first five games to merge.

And after?

Both teams will play next Monday. The Rockets will host the Atlanta Hawks and the Warriors will begin a four-game Eastern Conference tour against the Charlotte Hornets.