Month: March 2022

Rockets Aiming for an Upset, Host the Suns

Back Home.    No Paul, No Problem.    The Spoiler Role.

Houston returns home for a four-game homestand, beginning with a matchup against the NBA’s top team, the Phoenix Suns. The Suns have held their ground, keeping a hold on first place since Chris Paul went down with an injury. The Rockets have yet to beat Phoenix this season, as they’re 0-3 against the Suns.  

With only 14 games remaining, the Rockets will try and play the role of spoiler against teams fighting to maintain or gain playoff positioning. Houston will also expect to see a strong close to the season for Jalen Green, who’s really found his groove during the second half of the campaign.

This is the first of four straight at Toyota Center. Tonight’s contest will be the toughest, along with a Sunday matinee against the Memphis Grizzlies. Hopefully a return to the friendly confines of home will get the Rockets back on the winning page tonight.

 

Toyota Center:  Houston, Texas

 

Jersey Colors:

Phoenix Suns (55-14):  White

Houston Rockets (17-51):  Red

 

Tip-Off:  7 PM CT

TV:  AT&T Sportsnet SW,  NBA League Pass

Rockets Get Hammered in New Orleans, Fall to Pelicans 130-105

Big, Bad Birds.    Doing it Again.    Good Start, Rough Finish.

The Rockets once again held a lead after the first period on Sunday night. And once again, Houston would unravel throughout the rest of the contest, as the Rockets lost to the Pelicans, 130-105, for their second consecutive double-digit loss. Jalen Green led Houston in scoring with 17 points, but the Rockets couldn’t handle the Pelicans’ big men inside.

Jonas Valanciunas scored 32 points and grabbed 10 boards to lead New Orleans, while his fellow mate in the interior, Jaxson Hayes, added 21 points and 10 boards as well.

Houston will travel back home where they will host the best team in the NBA, the Phoenix Suns. The Rockets have seemed to win when we least expect it this season. Phoenix has held on to first place with Chris Paul still out with an injury. Every team has a letdown, and Houston will try and provide that for the Suns back in H-Town on Wednesday night.

Rockets Hit the Road for Big Easy Matchup with Pelicans

Down the Birds.    Avoiding Another Streak.    15 to Go.

The Rockets head to New Orleans to face the Pelicans on Sunday night. Houston will look to down a Pels team that’s played better during the second half of the season.

After losing their last game, the Rockets look to avoid another losing streak by bouncing back with a dub tonight.

Counting tonight’s matchup, Houston has only 15 games remaining as they wind down what’s been quite the season this year.

 

Smoothie King Center:  New Orleans, Louisiana

 

Jersey Colors:

Houston Rockets (17-50):  Black

New Orleans Pelicans (27-40):  White

 

Tip-Off:  6 PM CT

TV:  AT&T Sportsnet SW,  NBA League Pass

Rockets Fall Short Against Mavs, 113-100

Dead Rivalry.    Dallas Domination.    Regress to the Mean.

After one of their best wins of the season, the Houston Rockets fell short against the Dallas Mavericks, losing 113-100 on Friday night.

The Mavericks dominated the contest. Luka Doncic scored 30 points and grabbed 14 boards to power Dallas.

Once again, Houston regressed to the mean, and failed to win consecutive games, which hasn’t happened for the Rockets this entire calendar year.

Rockets Aim to Keep the Home Momentum, Host Mavericks

Ugly Rivals.    Home, Sweet Home.    Bouncing Back.

 

Houston, winners of two of their last three games, host the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night. The Rockets will look to make it three in a row at Toyota Center tonight, as they’ve won their past two home contests. Dallas is coming off an ugly loss to the New York Knicks, and will be looking to bounce back tonight in Houston. With the Spurs also in rebuilding mode like the Rockets, the Mavs are now the ugliest Texas rivals Houston has to face. Luka Doncic has had a stellar second-half of the season, and is one of the most lethal perimeter threats in the game. The Rockets need to contain Doncic if they want to keep the winning times alive at home.

Despite being 2-1 over their last three games, Houston has struggled mightily to in 2022 to string two wins together consecutively. The Rockets will try and end that trend tonight, but they’ll have to bring better effort than they did against an old, washed Lakers squad who they beat on Wednesday. Dallas is coming in tonight hungrier than L.A., and expect them to give the Rockets a real fight tonight from the opening tip.

Can Houston finally bounce back, and win two games in a row? They have then momentum, but this young team has struggled with the hangover of emotional wins affecting their performance in the next game. The squad will look to avoid that tonight, and put the hungry Mavericks to sleep on a Friday night in Houston.

 

Toyota Center:  Houston, Texas

 

Jersey Colors:

Dallas Mavericks (40-26):  White

Houston Rockets (17-49):  Navy “City Edition”

 

Tip-Off:  7 PM CT

TV:  AT&T Sportsnet SW,  NBA League Pass

Rockets Race Past Lakers 139-130, in OT Thriller

The Rookie Game.    LeHelpless.    Home Cooking.

There’s always a different feeling in the air when LeBron James is in the building. And on Wednesday night, with one of the largest crowds of the season, Toyota Center was rocking. The Rockets fed off that energy en route to a thrilling 139-130 victory over the Lakers in overtime. Jalen Green had the best game of his young career. Green scored a career-high 32 points on an efficient 13-for-21 shooting, and was aggressive from the opening tip. Alperen Sengun also had his best outing in the NBA. Sengun played 40 minutes, and registered a dominant 21-point, 14-rebound double-double for the evening. Sengun complimented that effort with 2 blocks, 2 steals, and 2 assists for good measure. Josh Christopher had an excellent performance as well to round out Houston’s impressive rookie trio. Christopher scored 21 points, as the Rockets became  only the second team in NBA history to have 3 players aged 20 years or younger score at least 20 points in a game. Houston’s top 3 rookies combined for an impressive 74 points, more than half the team’s total scoring output.

It wasn’t just the rooks who showed up for the Rockets. The squad had 7 players score in double-figures, with 6 guys getting at least 15 points. K.J. Martin had another solid performance, scoring 17 points and grabbing an impressive 11 rebounds. K-Mart has quietly been consistently one of Houston’s best players since the All-Star break. Eric Gordon added 15 points, the highlight of which was a fake on LeBron James that sent the King in a circle searching for his crown, preceding an EG bucket from distance.

Only the winless Portland Trail Blazers have a worse record than the Los Angeles Lakers since the All-Star break. Despite getting 30 points from Russell Westbrook, LeBron James simply doesn’t have the requisite help needed in L.A. to get the job done and string wins together. You can’t blame Houston’s victory over the Lakers on LeBron. At age 37, James played 45 minutes, securing another triple-double in his storied career with 23 points, 14 rebounds, and 12 assists. But it wasn’t enough. He passed up the potential game-winning layup at the end of regulation to an open Carmelo Anthony, who missed the shot. The rest was history, as the Rockets scored the first 13 points of overtime, sealing their second straight win at home. In the postgame interview, Green said Houston’s goal was to target Melo on defense and it worked. Green and the Rockets went at the future Hall-of-Famer, and were successful in the extra period.

Up next, Houston hosts their in-state rivals, the Dallas Mavericks, on Friday night. The Rockets have now won two straight games at Toyota Center, and haven’t lost in regulation at home in the past three times (that OT-loss to Utah still stings). Houston will look to keep the home momentum going as they’ll face a better Mavericks team than the Lakers squad they beat on Wednesday. But if the Rockets can keep that positive energy in the air at Toyota Center… they have a good chance to pull the upset on Friday night.

Rockets Host Lakers Back at Toyota Center

Helpless King.    Pile it On.    Home Momentum.

The Rockets host LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. The Lake Show has had its fair share of problems all season. Injuries, chemistry, old players withering away…you name it, L.A.’s experienced it during this season of misery in Southern California. Houston will look to add to that misery by dealing the Lakers another loss tonight.

L.A. is in danger of missing the play-in game and playoffs entirely. Los Angeles currently sits in 9th place in the West. They’ve been carried, literally, by LeBron James all season. LBJ’s had one of the finest season’s of his storied career. Even at age 37, James is still the league’s most ferocious force in transition, and  the still the best player in the game when he’s 100% dialed in.

Houston is coming off a win in their last home game, an impressive victory over the upstart Memphis Grizzlies. And the home game before that, Houston lost a heartbreaker in overtime. So, the squad hasn’t lost in regulation at home in its last couple games. The Rockets will try and extend that streak to three tonight with a win over the Lakers.

 

Toyota Center:  Houston, Texas

 

Jersey Colors:

Los Angeles Lakers (28-36):  Yellow

Houston Rockets (16-49):  Red

 

Tip-Off:  7 PM CT

TV:  AT&T Sportsnet SW,  NBA League Pass

Rockets Get Burned in South Beach, Fall to Heat 123-106

Miami Yikes.    Solidifying Duo.    Back Home.

The Rockets once again held the lead after the first quarter, but the Miami Heat’s discipline was on full display as the Heat powered past Houston, 123-106, on Monday night. Tyler Herro scored 31 points to lead Miami, and Jimmy Butler chipped in 21 points.

At least Houston’s backcourt continues to play well. Kevin Porter Jr. scored 22 points, and Jalen Green had another 20-point performance to his resume. Green’s started to consistently put efficient scoring nights together. Next season, look for Green to blast off from the start, and expect him to put on some weight in the offseason.

Up next, the Rockets return home for two games against probable Western Conference playoff teams: the Lakers and Mavs. Houston hosts the Lakes on Wednesday, and then the Mavs on Friday before heading off the on the road again for a matchup Sunday in New Orleans.

Rockets Head to Miami For Matchup with East-Leading Heat

Beasts of the East.    South Beach Silver Lining.    Necessary Baggage.

Houston battles the best team in the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat, as the Rockets look to build on their victory last night over the Grizzlies. Miami is playing superb basketball of late, as the Heat are winners of six of their last seven games. Houston has also lost four of the previous five meetings with Miami, as the Rockets will try and change that trend in South Beach on Monday night.

Usually, as was notably the case with James Harden-led Houston teams, most squads have distractions playing in Miami due the popular nightlife. Luckily for the Rockets, they played the night before in Houston, and fortunately didn’t have the time to revel in South Beach’s popular reputation for a hot-spot for professional athletes in their down-time. It’s still the second of a back-to-back for the Rockets, and the Heat play hard every night, to complement their vast array of talent. Jimmy Butler leads the way, and he appears to be in the lineup tonight despite seemingly missing every-other game this season. Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and Duncan Robinson are the other key players Houston needs to focus on if they want to pull off the huge upset tonight.

The Rockets are coming off one of their best games of the season, an impressive comeback win over the West’s second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies. Can Houston carry that necessary baggage that comes with an emotional win, and channel that energy into productive play on the court? In a hostile South Beach environment? Other than their seven-game winning streak earlier this season, the Rockets have struggled immensely putting two wins together. Houston has yet to win the second half of a back-to-back all season. The squad will try and buck that habit, while keeping the trend of playing spoiler in South Beach tonight.

 

FTX Arena:  Miami, Florida

 

Jersey Colors:

Houston Rockets (16-48):  White

Miami Heat (43-22):  Red

 

Tip-Off:  6:30 PM CT

TV:  AT&T Sportsnet SW,  NBA League Pass

Rockets Surge Past Grizzlies, 123-112, End Losing Streak

Trio of the Future.    Tale of Two Halves.    18 Remaining.

Houston trailed by as many as 14 points to the team with the second-best record in the NBA, the Memphis Grizzlies. However, the Rockets rallied to shock the Grizz, 123-112, behind a dominant second-half performance. Houston was able to hold Memphis superstar Ja Morant in check, holding the MVP-candidate to 22 points. The Rockets “Big Three” of Kevin Porter Jr., Jalen Green, and Christian Wood combined for a monstrous 81 points as they powered Houston’s comeback after halftime over the Grizzlies. KPJ scored 19 of his 29 in the third quarter. Christian Wood had 28 points and 13 rebounds in what coach Stephen Silas called his best game of the season. And Jalen Green is finally, consistently, looking like a potential Rookie of the Year candidate, and future superstar in this league. Green scored 24 points, to go along with 8 boards and 4 dimes.

After trailing by 10 points at halftime, the Rockets outscored Memphis by 21 points in the second half en route to their comeback victory. The win ends Houston’s twelve-game losing streak, and hopefully the last lengthy skid of this season. Up next the Rockets will travel to South Beach on Monday night to take on the Heat in the second night of a back-to-back.

Only 18 games remain, and the schedule isn’t particularly easy for Houston. The Rockets hope to carry over one of their best wins of the season into Miami into a tough matchup on Monday night. The squad has yet to win the second half of a back-to-back all season, and they haven’t beaten the Heat in over two seasons. It won’t be easy, but if Houston can carry this momentum and energy they felt during this home victory, they have a punter’s chance in Miami on Monday night.