Back to the future: Warriors vs. Rockets

The Golden State Warriors got a much-needed win on Saturday night, beating the Houston Rockets 125-109. They used a pretty flawless strategy: Steph Curry be out of this world, and no one else shoot themselves in the foot.

Worked well.

But did they hit on their pregame keys to victory, from my preview? Let’s find out.

Stay safe, Steph

The key: Don’t have a flukey Steph Curry injury like last time these teams played.

The outcome: Well, it’s a 10 out of 10 for Curry avoiding a flukey injury.

But it’s not a 10 out of 10 for the team doing so. In the second quarter, James Wiseman tried to go for a power jam, but was sent away by Kenyon Martin Jr. The force of the rejection caused Wiseman to land awkwardly, and he hurt his knee.

The rookie left the game on his own power, but didn’t return, and he’s having an MRI.

The Warriors pass this key by the letter of the law, but not by the spirit. So we’ll put them in the middle.

Grading the key: 5 out of 10.

Get to business

The key: Don’t wait until the second half to show up.

The outcome: The Dubs were not nearly as slow out of the gates on Saturday as they were on Friday, and it culminated in a majestic second quarter that determined the game.

The Warriors outscored Houston 33-18 in the second frame, which puts the Rockets in a pretty ugly place with regard to second quarters.

Grading the key: 9.5 out of 10.

Bench mob

The key: Quality minutes from the bench.

The outcome: The Warriors had one of their best bench performances of the entire season. Jordan Poole was sensational, with 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting, plus 4 assists and 3 steals. Juan Toscano-Anderson was everywhere — he made key plays passing, scoring, screening, defending, and hustling, and once again acted as an enforcer.

Kevon Looney led the team in plus-minus. Mychal Mulder had an efficient 10 points. And Damion Lee played well, even though his shot wasn’t falling.

The Warriors look so much better when the bench does that.

Grading the key: 9.5 out of 10.

Triples

The key: Threes. Lots of them.

The outcome: The Dubs made 14 threes, which is a respectable number, but not a big one. The 40% rate that they converted them on, however, is vital.

Shooting good threes is better than shooting a lot of threes, though it would be nice if the Warriors took a few more triples.

Grading the key: 6.5 out of 10.

Good grades throughout, and a W on the scoreboard.