Small-ball Houston Rockets knock down 25 3-pointers, blowout Golden State Warriors by 30 in San Francisco

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Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors

The last time the Rockets were at the Chase Center in San Francisco, they got upset by the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day. 

In their return to this floor, the Rockets weren't having any of that. Blowing out the Warriors by 30 (135-105), the Rockets made easy work of the inexperienced Warriors and improved to 3-2 since they completely embraced their super small-ball system. 

Here are the biggest takeaways from this one-sided contest:

Rockets' 25 3-pointers

Six Rockets players knocked down three or more 3-pointers with PJ Tucker and Robert Covington leading the way with five apiece.

As a team, the Rockets shot 25-of-49 (51.0%) from beyond the arc. 

Their tally of 25 from this game is tied for the third-most in NBA history and the second-most this season after the Minnestoa Timberwolves knocked down 26 earlier this month. 

Rockets start hot early & never look back

The Rockets began dominating this early, taking a 38-17 lead after the first quarter

In the first quarter, the visitors shot 12-of-24 from the field and 8-of-12 from beyond the arc while restricting the Warriors to 8-of-19 from the field and 0-of-6 from long distance.

They shot another seven three pointers by the half to carry a 22-point lead into the lockerroom. 

For the rest of the game, the Rockets kept their foot on the gas, giving some much-needed on-court time to their debutants in Jeff Green and DeMarre Carroll. 

Harden, Westbrook star & Green shines in debut

Russell Westbrook, although he got ejected by getting two technicals at different moments of the game, continued his good run of games. He scored 20 or more for the 27th straight game and the only other player with a longer streak this season is his teammate James Harden (34).

In his 30 minutes of play, he finished with 21 points (10-20 FGs; 1-2 3Ps), 10 assists, and five rebounds. Along with Harden, the duo combined for 20 of the team's 30 assists.

The Beard, on the other hand, finished with 29 points, 10 assists, three steals, three rebounds, two blocks, and a game-high +32 in his 30 minutes of play. 

With the game done early, Jeff Green, who signed with the Rockets a couple of days earlier, had a great debut in 24 minutes of play. He finished with 17 points and four rebounds on some ridiculous shooting splits of 6-of-8 from the field and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.

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