Klay Thompson went off on Houston Rockets' sophomore Tari Eason for calling out the Warriors on social media and coming to tonight's Warriors vs. Rockets game with a shirt that said, 'Warriors, come out to play.'
"That's pretty lame, especially if you're not even playing. It's one thing if you're playing and can actually back it up, but if you're going to be trolling from the sideline, it's like, 'Bro, what are we doing?' At least we're out there competing. That's all I have to say about that."
The Warriors have almost sealed the No. 10 seed after the Rockets used an 11-game win streak to come within one game of Golden State. However, the Warriors are currently on a six-game win streak while the Rockets have lost their last three games. The teams have a four-game gap in the standings now, with both teams having just six remaining games this season.
Tonight's contest between the teams could have brought Houston to within two games of Golden State, but it wasn't to be. Klay had a great night, putting up 29 points on just 15 shots to sweep this season series. Stephen Curry also added 29 points of his own, as Golden State sits 1.5 games behind the No. 9 seed Lakers.
Draymond Green Was Never Worried About The Rockets
The competitive history between the Warriors and the Rockets over the last 10 years is a pretty sad tale for the Rockets, who have seen every successful season in this era snuffed out by Golden State. From 2015 to 2019, the Warriors eliminated the Rockets thrice in the postseason, ending some of the most promising seasons in the franchise's history before they even made the NBA Finals.
This rivalry is one that the Warriors were winning comfortably even when the Rockets had James Harden and Chris Paul, so today's team led by Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. didn't intimidate the veteran cast, with Draymond even publicly saying he didn't care about the Rockets a week ago.
"I'm a little surprised that he hasn't played in a game since January 1st. So, it's kind of tough to come out yelling 'Come out and play' and you're not gonna play. It puts a lot of strain on your guys and you can't get out there and help them.”
Eason has been out with a leg injury since January and isn't expected to return this season. He averaged 9.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.4 steals as a sophomore, showing his value as a long-term two-way option for the Rockets. Unfortunately, his mouth ended up writing cheques that his teammates simply couldn't cash on the night.
The Rockets can be proud of their season and still push to finish above .500, even if their playoff push is likely over. If the Rockets manage to win 41 games or more, it'll be the first time in NBA history that 11 teams in a conference finished with a winning record.
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