Do the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors have a rivalry?
It depends on who you ask. Talk to a Warriors fan and you might get a snarky response. No. For a rivalry to exist, both sides have to be a threat to beat the other.
Rockets fans will feel differently. They'll overwhelmingly count the Warriors as rivals. To be fair, the Rockets gave the Warriors a real scare in 2017.
If not [for Chris Paul's hamstring...](https://spacecityscoop.com/posts/5-heartbreaking-what-if-moments-in-houston-rockets-history-01hwdhqz1p2p)
Those days are long gone. That doesn't stop them from haunting Rockets fans. Their squad has dropped 15 consecutive games to the Warriors.
They'll be looking to snap that streak in a big game tonight.
Rockets youth to be tested in NBA Cup play
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This isn't any game against the Warriors. It's the NBA Cup Quarterfinals.
It's no exaggeration to say that this is one of the biggest games of several Rockets' careers. Last year, play-in contention was on the table towards the end of the year. Outside of that, the stakes have never been higher for Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and the rest of the Rockets' young core.
On that note - Sengun's status is questionable. He's dealing with left knee soreness. If he can't play, it will significantly worsen [the Rockets' odds of victory.](https://spacecityscoop.com/rockets-worry-about-alperen-sengun-offense)
After all, only Moses Moody is out for the Warriors (besides De'Anthony Melton, he's unfortunately done for the year). Andrew Wiggins is questionable. The Warriors are armed with their key players and the Rockets will likely need Sengun to match their firepower.
Here's hoping he's available.
This is a huge game for the Rockets
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Look. The NBA Cup is, to borrow a popular colloquialism, what it is.
It's not the NBA championship. Fans will diminish its significance on those grounds. To be sure, only diehards will remember the 2024-25 NBA Cup winners in a half-decade.
If the Rockets win, they'll remember. It could give them confidence that carries through their careers. The tournament should matter more to a young team like the Rockets than an average team.
That's one layer of significance in this game. Then, there's the Warriors.
For God's sake, the Rockets need to beat the Warriors.
It's nightmare fuel. It takes a masochist to watch a Rockets/Warriors game if you're a Rockets fan. We all know how it goes. The Rockets keep it close, Curry hits approximately a million threes, the Warriors go up by 20 and Curry hits the "go to sleep".
Tonight needs to be different. The Rockets need to advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals.
Then, they can call the Warriors rivals.