Game thread: Rockets at Warriors

Houston Rockets (0-0) vs. Golden State Warriors (0-0), Oct. 17, 2017, 9:30 p.m. CDT

Location: Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
TV: TNT
Radio: KBME 790 AM/ESPN Radio/KEYH 850 AM (Spanish)/KNTE 101.7 FM (Spanish)/Streaming on Rockets App
Online: NBA League Pass, Watch TNT
Warriors SBNation Blog: Golden State Of Mind

Yep, folks, it’s that time. It’s come a little early this year, but you won’t catch me complaining that we have regular season basketball just half way though the month of October.

The Rockets head to California tonight, to take on the defending champion Golden State Warriors at the Oracle. The Dubs will be breaking out the pomp with a championship ceremony before the game, and they’re certain to come out pumped and ready to make a statement again this year.

The Rockets, as we all know, basically used the entire offseason to get closer to one goal: defeat the Warriors. We’ll see how close they are tonight.

Houston is fully healthy, and we’ll get our first regular season glimpse at the Chris Paul - James Harden tandem after they went 4-1 in the preseason, and we’ll also get to see how well new defenders P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute can help slow the Dubs’ attack. It’s what they were brought in for, and there’s nothing like getting down to business right away, eh?

Golden State will be missing Andre Iguodala, who will be sitting out tonight’s contest with a back strain, so we’ll probably see a little more of Omri Casspi in Iggy’s stead.

Don’t forget to take a gander at AK’s game preview before things get under way. It’s a pleasure to read the best game previews in basketball again this season, and as usual, he nails it.

And if you’re here really early, like I am, take a look at our season previews here at TDS, where we look at each player on the Houston roster.

Tonight’s game gets going at 9:30pm CST (or ridiculously late for those of us on the east coast, who also just happen to be on game coverage as well!). Tonight’s game is airing on TNT, so a national audience will get to see whether or not Houston truly did improve their chances in the West this season.

Go Rockets!