Houston Rockets 122-121 Golden State Warriors: 5 talking points

Four of the best teams in the league went head to head on an incredible opening night of NBA action with the only dampener being the unfortunate injury suffered by Gordon Hayward. The Celtics and the Cavs played out a very close game and this one was no different.

The Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets played what will definitely go down as one of the games of this season. An instant classic, Golden State led much of the way but Houston fought back with a late rally and won the game as Kevin Durant's potential game-winner didn't get off in time. While it was just the 1st game of the season, there were plenty of conclusions to be drawn out of it.

#5 Nick Young is a good fit for the Warriors

Nick Young

Nick Young signing with the Warriors was met with skepticism by some but he is a perfect fit. Young provided a much-needed scoring spark off the bench and he had 20 points by halftime. While he won't be putting up those numbers often, his 3-point shooting off the bench will be vital for the Warriors this season.

Reason being, they do lack some shooters off the bench. Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala, and Patrick McCaw aren't great 3-point shooters, so much of that responsibility falls on Young and Omri Casspi.

For much of his career, Young has been taking contested off the dribble shots, but with the Warriors, he can ease into more of a spot up role as the defense is mainly concerned with Durant, Curry, and Thompson. He didn't get many looks in the 2nd half, scoring only 3 points, but the initial signs are encouraging.

#4 Houston's Bench stepped up

P.J. Tucker (#4) was a key member of the Rockets' bench that spurred a comeback.

While today was supposed to be about how well Chris Paul and James Harden can play together, there was another story to look at. The Rockets had given up some of their key rotational pieces in the trade that brought Paul to Houston. The bench had been a big part of their success last season and they stepped up again today.

The Rockets bench scored 58 points as Eric Gordon went off for 24. PJ Tucker was huge down the stretch hitting some big 3's and playing solid defense. Luc Mbah a Moute chipped in with 14 as well.

While the three of them were impressive, the problem is they were the only three to come off the bench. The Rockets cannot hope to compete with the Warriors in the playoffs if they don't get more productive players off the bench as these three won't chip in with these numbers every game. While Nene who didn't play tonight should help, they clearly need more players contributing off the bench.

#3 Mixed night for Chris Paul

Chris Paul #3

A lot was made of whether Chris Paul would fit with Houston's up-tempo offense and it was a mixed bag. Paul prefers to run the half-court offense and his tendencies showed up at times in the game. The rest of the Rockets wanted to up the pace for much of the game but Paul wanted it to slow down at times. That said, he still racked up 11 assists and surprisingly 8 rebounds. He did have an off shooting night though, scoring only 4 points on 2-9 shooting, but that shouldn't be a problem long term.

What could be a problem is the fact that he cannot contribute enough off the ball. Paul isn't exactly a spot up shooter and with Harden holding the ball for much of the game, he can often be isolated from the offense. Paul is at his best when he's holding the ball and getting others involved and that should be the way to go for Houston in the future. Harden, is much more suited to playing off the ball than he is, and if Houston wants to maximise Paul's impact then that's what they should do.

#2 Draymond Green's importance to the Warriors

Draymond Green

While he definitely isn't the most talented player on the team, Draymond Green again showed his importance to the Warriors today. He had 9 points to go along with 13 assists and 11 rebounds. They were up 13 at the end of the 3rd quarter when he had to go off because of a knee strain and the Warriors offense struggled big time. His impact, especially as a playmaker, was badly missed in the 4th quarter.

The Warriors only scored 20 points and had only 5 assists to go along with 4 turnovers. His impact on the defensive side of the floor was missed as well as Houston scored 34 points.

His absence was compounded by the fact that Iguodala (back strain) didn't play either which meant that the Warriors were without 2 of their best playmakers and defenders. Curry's costly turnover late in the 4th quarter didn't help either and that tendency of his is why Draymond handles most of the playmaking duties. While the Warriors should be fine long-term, they'll have to play much better when he's off the court.

#1 Houston shows a lot of heart

PJ Tucker (left) and Harden (center)

After their meek surrender against the Spurs in the Playoffs last year, many questioned the heart and the resiliency of the Rockets. They were whacked 114-75 at home to a Spurs side without Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker. Those questions lingered on to a certain extent this season but they gave a pretty good answer for now.

The Rockets trailed for much of the game and were often down by double digits but they kept coming back. Everytime Golden State went on a big run, Houston would answer back with one of their own. They kept staying in touch thanks to big plays from Tucker, Gordon, and Harden. They finally took the lead with less than a minute left as Tucker hit both of his free throws in what would end up being the game-winning points. While it was good to see the never give up attitude from the Rockets, we need to hold off the judgment regarding it for the Playoffs.