The Houston Rockets are the only team with two wins over the Golden State Warriors this season.
Like their first meeting on opening night, the Rockets traded blows with the Warriors for most of the contest and fended them off down the stretch. Golden State can cling to the excuse of playing on the last of a five-game road trip, but that takes nothing away from how Houston competed.
Here are five takeaways from the Rockets' 116-108 win.
Capitalizing on mistakes
The Rockets knew the Warriors are mostly unstoppable, save for a couple small flaws, and they exploited those weaknesses.
The Warriors didn't value possessions, as evidenced by their 19 turnovers in the loss. The Rockets were hyperaggressive on the ball and overloaded the passing lanes with long-limbed help defenders at every opportunity. This strategy not only produced stops, but they also scored 23 points off those turnovers.
Houston had the type of defenders necessary to play aggressive on the wing. The likes of Chris Paul and P.J. Tucker swiped and hawked their assignments, while Clint Capela and Luc Mbah a Moute intercepted everything around the paint. They also had the versatility to switch freely against the Warriors.
Granted, the Warriors also played into this with their characteristically nonchalant sloppiness. They botched at least a half-dozen fast breaks just by throwing the ball out of bounds or airmailing alley-oop passes. But the Rockets still influenced those plays by diligently by getting back in transition.
Playing big
The Warriors' other weakness is that they're somewhat undersized, and since they switch so liberally, they can be exposed.
The Rockets capitalized on their size advantage on both ends. Houston snared 12 offensive rebounds and came up with 16 second-chance points. As soon as the shot went up, the Rockets crashed the paint with either Capela or Ryan Anderson.
This strategy obviously comes with the risk of feeding into Golden State's transition game, but Houston was more energetic playing on their home court and frequently caught the Warriors flat-footed. Underdogs need to take some gambles, and it worked out for the Rockets.
Houston also took advantage on offense by inviting switches against the Warriors' centers, mostly by pushing the pace. Houston sprinted off misses, and set drag screens to invite mismatches.
Each time Capela had a smaller man on him, the Rockets would float a pass over the top to him for an easy layup. The 7-foot Swiss center did a good job of keeping the ball high to prevent any strips.
Off night
Stephen Curry is the Warriors' most important player, and when he struggles, so does the team.
Curry shot 1-of-8 in the first quarter and entered halftime 3-of-13 with four turnovers. He was so bad that Warriors coach Steve Kerr was seen consoling him as they entered the tunnel. Curry had his fair share of open looks, and a few shots rimmed out after a few spins, but they just weren't dropping.
The two-time MVP was better in the second half, but he went cold in the clutch. Curry missed all three of his attempts in the fourth, he wasn't as eager to attack Capela on a switch as he normally would be, and deferred mostly to Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant in the closing moments.
Paul played him physically, as he always does, but Curry still rattled off 14 attempts from deep, which is usually a formula for success. As the cliche goes, it's a make-or-miss league.
Efficient isolation
The Rockets kept things as simple as possible by playing in isolation for most of the night.
It wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing scheme, but Houston got efficient looks for Paul and Harden simply by letting them attack one-on-one. Paul had 33 points on the night, while Harden chipped in with 22.
Harden got his baskets with step-back jumpers, an unguardable move that almost always affords him separation since he's such a threat to drive. He made three straight in the first quarter and another late in the fourth to seal the deal.
Paul was equally ruthless, especially when he found himself attacking a big man. Kevon Looney bore the brunt of Paul's wrath, as he looked helpless while Paul lulled him to sleep before drilling a jumper.
Playoff success?
The biggest question on everyone's mind is whether the Rockets, or anybody for that matter, will be able to throw a scare into the Warriors.
It's hard to draw too many solid conclusions from a couple games in the regular season. The Warriors didn't play with the same intensity as the Rockets, they're wrapping up an exhausting road trip, and they could have taken this game had Thompson connected on a pair of open threes late in the fourth.
But at the same time, the Rockets know where the Warriors are vulnerable, and they have the roster to capitalize. Capela's length is a legitimate problem, Harden and Paul can carry the offense just by attacking mismatches, and Houston has enough interchangeable defenders between Mbah a Moute, Tucker, Eric Gordon, and Trevor Ariza to slow the Warriors just enough to make it a contest.