The Golden State Warriors went into the Rockets game with a 5-game winning streak. The San Francisco side’s desperation to secure post-season action is quite evident following an inconsistent season.
The game against the Rockets had significance of its own as the Houston side also showed remarkable improvement in recent weeks to contend for the final ticket to the play-ins. To fan the flames, Tari Eason raised the stakes with his public call-out of the Warriors. On Thursday night, the two teams finally faced off after the recent build-up and Eason made sure to contribute to the best of his abilities despite being ruled out due to injury.
Tari Eason tries to provoke Warriors with wardrobe choice
Tari Eason’s choice of clothing while attending the Houston Rockets versus Golden State Warriors game suggests that the Rockets forward’s attempted mind game was premeditated.
The Rockets man wore a black T-shirt and witnessed the game from the sideline along with his team, but the statement on the cloth was the actual talking point. “Warriors Come Out to Play” was written on the front, which was enough to sidetrack the Golden State.
Tari Eason wore a “Warriors Come Out To Play" shirt tonight
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 5, 2024
Warriors beat the Rockets by 23 points.
(via @ClutchPoints) pic.twitter.com/n15s8a8haN
The exciting clash was an awaited one as Eason had earlier tried to rile up the Warriors with his social media message challenging the Warriors to play the post-season spot-hungry Houston. The video surprised Warriors’ Draymond Green as Eason has been ruled out from the roster since Jan 2024 for his season-ending injury.
The Rockets collectively displayed outstanding dominance for eleven games in a row. However, soon after the 22-year-old’s message, their winning streak got crushed by MVP contender Luka Doncic and his Mavericks team after several franchises gave up.
Despite trying hard and having the home-court advantage, Eason’s side failed to live up to his expectations while the Warriors had the last laugh at Toyota Center.
Warriors overpower Rockets for vital win
The Golden State Warriors established their supremacy throughout the game by scoring 30 or more points in all four quarters, recording their sixth straight win.
The Warriors led by 15 points in the first half with five deep 3-pointers from veteran Klay Thompson and two in the other half. Both Thompson and Stephen Curry contributed 29 points each, along with 4 and 6 assists respectively. The Warriors center Trayce Jackson-Davis added another 20 points, recording the franchise’s 13th consecutive regular season game win over the Rockets.
Apart from Jabari Smith Jr.’s 24 points, none of the Rockets’ players scored above 17 and finished with a 110-133 defeat. The night ended with the game-high scorers garnering praise from their teammates and coach following the win.
The Warriors only have six games left to keep their 10th spot on the Western Conference table with their next challenge being against the Mavericks.
