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HOUSTON – Given the unrelenting dominance of their reigning championship, the Golden State Warriors were undoubtedly prepared for their when they interpersonal witnessed the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center.
After Warriors forwards Draymond Green and Kevin Durant, Vice President of the University of New York. When Green was suspended for the team on Tuesday, missing the Warriors' 110-103 win over the Atlanta Hawks, what followed was a series of queries that left the press conference.
"We just had a game," Durant said after being peppered with questions about Green. "Anybody going to talk about the game?"
Steve Kerr came as no surprise. That the Warriors showed championship despite being "emotionally spent" as described by coach. The Warriors were not only without Green, but they also continued to play Stephen Curry (left adductor strain). Green should return to their lineup when the Warriors (12-3) visit the Houston Rockets (6-7) on Thursday night at the Toyota Center, site of their Game 7 victory in the Western Conference Finals last postseason.
Under normal circumstances, a rematch between league titans would dominate the headlines. But with the Warriors showing even the slightest amount of fraying in their team fabric, it stands to reason that the dialogue would shift to how they move beyond the conflict.
"Once the ball is tipped, nothing else matters," Durant said. "And I think that's the approach that everybody takes every step on the floor.
"What happened, we're trying to move on and just trying to play basketball."
The Rockets are dealing with their own controversy, with forward Carmelo Anthony from the team at the outset. Anthony missed his third consecutive game on Tuesday with the team is calling an "illness." The Rockets won for a second time in his absence, defeating the Denver Nuggets 109-99 at Pepsi Center while resembling the team that challenged the Warriors last season.
Before the Anthony imbroglio, the Rockets' lethargic play to open this season. But after handling the Indiana Pacers at home on Sunday, the Rockets showed additional signs of recovery in their Nuggets their fourth consecutive loss. Defensively, the Rockets reclaimed their identity a few weeks ago. Their rebound on offense is more recent.
After making a season-high 20-pointers against the Pacers, the Rockets shot 54.9 percent in Denver, including converting to a robust 26 of 34 on shots inside the 3-point arc.
"It's getting there," Rockets guard James Harden said of the team's confidence. "It's going to take time, but it's getting there." "If we keep guarding and defending at a high level we're doing, our offense is going to come around.
"I think that happened in the San Antonio game (last Saturday) .Even though we did not win I think we are doing very well. So, we've got to carry this over to Thursday. "
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