Rockets' Game 2 vs. Warriors is Must-Win for Houston

In potential seven-game NBA Playoffs series, Game 2 can often hold the most weight, being the difference in a momentum swing and an even series, or an insurmountable 2-0 lead.

On Wednesday night, the Houston Rockets will face that exact scenario, looking to fend off the Warriors from taking a 2-0 series lead on their home court.

In the two team’s first meeting, the Warriors won in grindy fashion, clawing out a 95-85 win behind a stellar performance from superstar Steph Curry. The Rockets were slow to score the ball all night, with most of their young core shaking off new Playoffs jitters. They did eventually run the comeback, but faltered late.

Houston was allowed one slow scoring game on the principle of youth, but it’s going to need to bring it in Game 2 if it wants to advance further.

Across 201 first round NBA series, 93.5% win when going up 2-0. And that stat’s made even scarier for the Rockets considering Golden State has already stolen one game on the road, and are set to play Game 3 and Game 4 in The Bay.

With a mindset focused on defense and intensity — which was infused by head coach Ime Udoka — the Rockets could very well be equipped to rebound for a win in Game 2. But there’s almost zero chance a team with so little experience would be able to snag two-straight games in Golden State and avoid going down three games to one.

Only 13 teams out of 288 in total have recovered from a 3-1 deficit — a near-death sentence in Round 1.

For now, the Rockets will continue prepping for a much-needed Game 2 at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23.