Golden State’s defense leads the way in triumphant return to action

It was supposed to be a matchup between two of the NBA’s leading scorers, instead it turned into a blowout. Stephen Curry, the NBA scoring leader, poured in 38 points including six three-point field goals, propelling the Warriors to a 148-102 win over the Houston Rockets on Thursday night.

Jaylen Brown continued his hot streak through the break, setting a career-high with 20 rebounds to go along with 23 points and 10 assists, his second triple-double since joining the Warriors. Brown became the fourth-youngest player to score 20 or more points, collect 20 or more rebounds and dish out 10 or more assists in a single game.

As effective as the Warriors were on offense, the Rockets were ineffective. James Harden scored just seven points on 2-for-10 shooting, including 0-for-4 from beyond the arc and getting just three free throw attempts. Harden, who entered the night averaging 31.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.6 assists on 54 percent shooting was held to his lowest scoring output of the season.

Russell Westbrook led the Rockets with 34 points, but did so on 14-for-35 shooting, including 6-for-20 from deep.

Curry led a dominant first half, scoring 25 of his 38 points in the first half on 4-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc. With a lead firmly in hand, the Warrior defense kicked in in the second half, holding Harden scoreless through the final 24 minutes of action.

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Golden State hosts the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night at The Chase Center.

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