Golden State @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( May 12, 2019 ) Houston 0, Golden State 0

The Golden State Warriors picked up their first win in their new home on Monday while watching their young roster begin to gel. The Warriors will try to make it back-to-back wins for the first time this season when they visit a familiar foe in the Houston Rockets.

Golden State versus the Rockets doesn't have quite the same spark with Stephen Curry (hand), Klay Thompson (knee) and Kevin Durant (free agency) no longer in the lineup for the Warriors, but a new group of players is trying to step forward. Power forward Eric Paschall led three rookie starters in double figures with a season-high 34 points on 11-of-19 shooting in a 127-118 triumph over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday as All-Stars Draymond Green (finger) and D'Angelo Russell (ankle) also sat out. Houston has a different look than when it fell to the Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals last season due to the presence of former MVP Russell Westbrook, who sat out Monday's 107-100 win at Memphis to rest on the second night of a back-to-back. Westbrook, who has his own playoff history against Golden State as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder the past five seasons, is expected to return to the lineup on Wednesday.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, NBCS Bay Area (Golden State), AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston)

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (2-5): Green and Russell are both day-to-day, and Golden State's rotation on Monday featured only one player - reserve shooting guard Damion Lee - who was even on the roster last season. Paschall has been the best of the young group of late and broke out on Monday while going 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and knocking down a key 3-pointer in the late run that put the game away. Fellow rookies Ky Bowman and Jordan Poole started in the backcourt in place of Curry and Thompson and combined for 35 points and 13 assists as the team earned its first victory at Chase Center in San Francisco.

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (4-3): Houston was outscored 46-14 in the first quarter of a 129-100 loss at Miami on Sunday and got off to a stronger start (33-28 lead after the first quarter) against the Grizzlies the next night. Westbrook's absence put the ball in the hands of fellow former MVP James Harden, who delivered 44 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the victory while knocking down a season-high seven 3-pointers. Houston shot 37.6 percent from the floor against the Grizzlies but knocked down 17 3-pointers with Eric Gordon and Ben McLemore each connecting on three.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. McLemore scored 26 points in the last two games after totaling 18 in the first five contests.

2. Warriors C Willie Cauley-Stein is 16-of-24 from the floor on the season.

3. Golden State knocked off Houston in six games in the West semifinals last spring.

PREDICTION: Rockets 123, Warriors 106