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There wasn't much to be positive about three-quarters of the way through Game 5 from the Golden State Warriors' perspective. Down 31 points with 10:59 left in the third quarter and Steve Kerr ready to pull the plug, the Dubs were more than ready to lick their wounds and gear up for a dangerous close-out Game 6 back in San Francisco.
But then the end of the bench checked in and did the best thing the end of the bench can do in a blowout: agitate the other team. Led by Moses Moody, Pat Spencer, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Kevin Knox, and Braxton Key, they forced Ime Udoka to put his starters back into the game with a 12-2 run to start the fourth quarter.
Jimmy Butler described the performance of this rag-tag group of reserves and fringe G-Leaguers, with Moody mixed in there, as “inspiring” in his postgame press conference.
“Kudos to those guys for fighting, for not giving up, and always staying ready because you never know when your number is gon' be called, and it was tonight.” Butler said. “They played their asses off.”
With the Houston starters completely cold after being thrust back into a game they believed they had won, the rag-tag Dubs cut the Rockets' lead down to 13 points with 5:02 left in the game.
The cherry on top came when Jackson-Davis shoved Alperen Sengün for getting into the face of Spencer. Spencer was the only one ejected from the game, but Candace Parker on the TNT Broadcast said it best, “…Golden State will proudly take a swap of Jackson-Davis and Sengün, no offense.”
After the loss, Draymond Green shared his reaction to the altercation with Sengün.
“That was beautiful. We don't back down from anybody. And we didn't, so I like it.” Green said with a wide smile.
The silver linings and dealing with the Rockets' threats
At the end of the day, the Warriors lost, which sets up a dangerous Game 6 at the Chase Center.
Golden State does not want to have to get on a plane and fly back to Houston for a winner-takes-all Game 7 in a hostile environment. They have to get Game 6, and that starts with solving some of the serious issues the Rockets have posed in these last two games.
It starts with the Rockets' zone defense. The Rockets are playing the percentages. They are packing the paint and daring anyone not named Stephen Curry or Buddy Hield to shoot from beyond the arc. And the Warriors' non-shooters are not punishing them when given the opportunity.
On the flipside, Fred VanVleet is torching the Dubs from beyond the arc. In the last two games, he is 12-of-18 from deep. The Warriors' perimeter defenders are not bothering him enough. He's been in full control of getting to his spots and spotting up for three, both of which have been breaking the Warriors' defense.
But in search of answers to dealing with the Rockets in Game 6, Moses Moody is a good place to start. Moody led the charge in the Dubs' reserves' second-half scare, collecting 21 points during that run. It was a very subtle but classic Steve Kerr move to leave Moody in a lost game to regain some of his confidence on offense.
Moody's had a weird Rockets series so far, but the Dubs' fate may hinge on him hitting shots. Warriors insider Tim Kawakami has already speculated the Warriors could turn back to Moody in the hopes of regaining some size and length on the perimeter.
Warriors' Pat Spencer could help slow down Rockets' VanVleet
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As for the VanVleet issue, Moody's presence would give the Warriors another point-of-attack defender to slow him down. In the first two games, he bothered the former NBA champion with his size and length, all without fouling. But a second VanVleet stopper could come in the form of Spencer a former collegiate lacrosse MVP.
Contrary to the popular belief of putting a lengthy guy like Moody on a small guard like VanVleet, the Warriors could benefit from matching speed with speed by putting Spencer on VanVleet.
The best Stephen Curry ‘stoppers' haven't been players like Jared Vanderbilt or Amen Thompson. It's been guys similar in size like Fred VanVleet, Matthew Dellavedova, and Dennis Schröder, who have guarded Curry the best (the best as one can when it comes to guarding the future hall of famer).
It's not out of character for Kerr to turn to his bench for tactical answers. Even just a few good minutes from Spencer can give the Dubs some help slowing down VanVleet.
Maybe Jackson-Davis can give the Dubs some much-needed size here and there to match Houston's giants. The benches' run in the second half gave Kerr some options, which will be ready in a must-win Game 6.
A must-win Game 6 for the Warriors
Regardless of the tactical question of this series, it doesn't take away from the fact that the Warriors did not come out ready to play in a critical close-out game. There was a distinct lack of urgency and desperation for a team on the verge of advancing.
But a big part of that comes down to fatigue, especially for a banged-up veteran-led team. Curry's nursing a huge swollen thumb. Butler's less than a week removed from suffering a deep glute contusion. Green's asked to do everything on offense and defense. The Warriors are running on fumes to a certain extent, and it showed in the Game 5 loss.
Still, Kerr was highly critical of himself and the team postgame.
“I didn't have them ready to play, clearly. We committed three fouls in the first two minutes of the game. I think they were 13-for-13 from the line after the first quarter,” Kerr said. “We can't come out with that lack of focus and energy and expect to beat a great team on their home floor in a close-out game. They took it to us; they were awesome tonight, and we got to be better.”
