Rockets Embrace the Chaos, Power Past Warriors in Game 2

The Houston Rockets didn’t just beat the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night — they owned the moment.

In a heated and rowdy Game 2 of the Western Conference first round, the Rockets rolled to a 109-94 win in front of a wild Toyota Center crowd that made it clear exactly how they feel about Draymond Green. And the Rockets? They thrived in every bit of the chaos.

The night had everything: six technical fouls, a flagrant, some pushing and shoving, and multiple loud “F--- you, Draymond!” chants echoing through the arena. If this is playoff basketball in Houston, the Rockets are right at home.

Coach Ime Udoka summed it up perfectly:

“If it gets chippy, we’ve seen over the last two years that’s worked in our favor... You’ve got to keep your composure at that point and just stay calm.”

Houston did just that — for the most part.

The game’s tension boiled over with just over five minutes to play. After a Fred VanVleet steal led to a Jalen Green layup that pushed Houston’s lead to 19, VanVleet and Draymond Green had a heated face-to-face moment near the Rockets’ bench. Players swarmed. Shoving followed. And in the chaos, Rockets forward Tari Eason — who wasn’t even in the game — got hit with a technical for throwing a towel.

Eason owned up to it postgame:

“My emotions just got the best of me... With some of the guys they have over there, their thing is to try to beat you mentally. Basketball is 90% mental.”

Draymond, predictably, downplayed the scuffle:

“Just talking. Everybody came and surrounded and started pushing.”

Still, the crowd was relentless, and the chants didn’t stop. Warriors coach Steve Kerr wasn’t a fan of the language, calling for more “discretion,” especially since, as he pointed out, “Draymond has kids.”

Green himself wasn’t too fazed. In fact, he made sure to take a jab back at the originality — or lack thereof — of Houston’s chant:

“It’s not original... That belongs to Boston.”

But while Draymond absorbed the boos and barbs, the Rockets absorbed the energy.
They fed off it.

This is a team built for the fire. A team that doesn’t need to “flip a switch” in the playoffs — they’re already wired for this kind of gritty, edge-of-chaos basketball.

Udoka made that clear postgame:

“That’s who we are... It’s our identity. I don’t mind it — it’s good for us. It makes us who we are.”

Minus the towel toss, of course.

With the win, the Rockets take a 2-0 series lead and now head to San Francisco with momentum, swagger, and a little bit of that controlled chaos that’s quickly becoming their playoff calling card.