Month: February 2024

Rockets Aim to Snap Skid in Return Home, Host Knicks

Home to the Rescue.    Big Return.    Perimeter Defense.

Coming off an empty road trip, which saw the Rockets lose a season-high four straight games, Houston returns home to Toyota Center to host the New York Knicks on Monday night. The Rockets are a respectable 18-9 at home, compared to an embarrassing 5-20 on the road. And this Knicks team is heavily injured at the moment. All-Star Julius Randle and new-addition O.G. Anunoby are both out with injuries for tonight’s contest.

Alperen Sengun returns to the lineup for Houston after missing his first game of the season in the previous loss to Atlanta. Sengun should have his hands full battling Isaiah Hartenstein and Precious Achiuwa in the paint. The two bigs for New York are two of the league’s more underrated role players. The Knicks have been on a roll, but with their recent injuries they’ve struggled lately, losing three of their past four games. Houston needs to take advantage of a limping New York squad tonight, and put the Knicks away early by getting off to a fast start. They’ll have to put four quarters together to get the victory tonight, something we haven’t seen from the Rockets in several games.

All season, Houston has performed much better at home, as evidenced by their record at Toyota Center. They shoot the three-point shot with more confidence and efficiency and also play harder defense at home. Expect the Rockets to be fired up by the home fans as they return to the friendly confines of Toyota Center, aiming to snap a season-high four-game skid.

 

Toyota Center:  Houston, Texas

 

Jersey Colors:

New York Knicks (33-20):  Blue

Houston Rockets (23-29):  Red

 

Tip-Off:  7:00 PM CT

TV:  Space City Home Network,  NBA League Pass

Empty Trip:  Rockets Fall Short in 122-113 Loss to Hawks

Jekyll and Hyde.    Second Quarter Slump.    Three Point Key.

The Rockets closed their road tip with a 122-113 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night. Houston is now in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Dejounte Murray paced the Hawks with 32 points, while Trae Young contributed 18 points for Atlanta. Saddiq Bey and Jalen Johnson combined to score 45 points to torch Houston. Contrary to previous games in this road trip, the Rockets actually held a comfortable 12-point lead after the first period, but they were outscored by 20 points in the second quarter, as the Hawks seized control of the game, ending the first half on a 26-11 run. Jalen Green’s first career triple-double was spoiled in the defeat. Green finished with 26 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists on the evening. Jeff Green scored a season-high 19 points for Houston, and Aaron Holiday added 18 points on a night that saw contributions across the board from the Rockets’ roster. Amen Thompson had another double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Alperen Sengun’s absence was sorely felt in the first game he missed all season. Sengun is expected to return for Houston’s next game on Monday.

The Jekyll and Hyde Rockets will now return home to Toyota Center to host the Knicks before traveling to face the Grizzlies in the final two games before the All-Star Break. Houston is now a dismal 5-20 on the road, compared to 18-9 at home. Hopefully a return home can get the Rockets back on the winning track. The Knicks are heavily injured, and Houston should have a solid chance to snap their four game skid on Monday night.

A major factor into why the Rockets play so differently at home compared to the road, is the three-point shot. Specifically, the way they shoot the three and defend the opposing team on the perimeter. Opponents are shooting lights out from beyond the arc when Houston plays on the road. And the Rockets are struggling mightily to make threes away from home. At Toyota Center, Houston has been a different team on the perimeter, shooting the ball more efficiently mixed with an intensity upgrade on the defensive end. If the Rockets can revert to this formula, they should be able to put this road trip behind them… and pull off a win in their return home on Monday night.

Rockets Visit Hawks to Finish Road Trip

Last Stop.    Bruised and Battered.    Better Start.

The Rockets make their fourth and final stop on this road trip as they visit the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night. The Hawks are coming off an impressive road win over the Sixers in Philly in their previous game. Houston is trying to snap a three-game skid, as they enter State Farm Arena desperate for a road win. Atlanta won the first matchup between these teams, 134-127, back on December 20th in Houston. The Rockets are seeking revenge tonight, but it won’t be easy.

Houston limps into this matchup, as they have a heavily injured roster coming into tonight’s tilt. Alperen Sengun will miss his first game of the season with a back injury. Cam Whitmore is out with a sprained ankle. Fred VanVleet remains out with an adductor strain, and Tari Eason remains out with his leg injury. Those are four incredibly important pieces of this Rockets squad. While they’ve been without Eason for a while, and without FVV for the last couple of games, the losses of Sengun and Whitmore are huge for Houston as they desperately try and fix their road woes.

The Rockets need a better start if they want any chance to pull out a victory with a short-handed team tonight. Trae Young and DeJounte Murray and once again the biggest defensive threats for Atlanta. Jalen Johnson has been having a breakout season in his third year in the league, and forward Saddiq Bey has recently shown consistency and rounded into form. Houston has to pray their shots are falling tonight, and hopefully Atlanta is tired as they also had a game last night. Due to the injuries, the Rockets are big underdogs tonight, but these are the types of weird games this team could win in a season that’s been oddly inconsistent.

 

State Farm Arena:  Atlanta, Georgia

 

Jersey Colors:

Houston Rockets (23-28):  Black

Atlanta Hawks (23-29):  Red

 

Tip-Off:  6:00 PM CT

TV:  Space City Home Network,  NBA League Pass

Rockets Furious Rally Falls Short in 107-104 Loss to Raptors

Sleepwalking.    No Cigar.    Back At It.

Houston rallied from a 22-point deficit, but the squad once again came up short, as the Rockets fell to the Raptors, 107-104, on Friday night. The “New Raptors”, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley combined for 46 points to torch Houston. Dillon Brooks led the Rockets with 20 points in his return to Canada. Cam Whitmore scored 17 points off the bench, however the rookie suffered a sprained ankle and didn’t return to the game. Aleperen Sengun and Jalen Green had their worst games of the season, scoring only 7 points each.

It’s becoming an embarrassing trend. Houston is not coming out ready to play. Whether it’s right after tip-off, or coming out of the halftime break, the Rockets have struggled playing out of the gate. They made a great comeback attempt in Toronto, but came up short, close with no cigar. And Coach Ime Udoka isn’t afraid to play whoever is deserving of minutes. Houston’s bench got them back in the game, and they were on the court mainly in crunch time. The team as a whole has to figure out how to play hard for four quarters, especially the starting unit.

The Rockets now head to Atlanta on Saturday night to finish this four-game road trip. Houston is currently 0-3 on this journey away from Toyota Center, now holding an embarrassing 5-19 road record. Hopefully, the Rockets can get back on track in Atlanta. They haven’t played well in the second half of back-to-backs this season, but maybe that will change against a Hawks team that mirrors this Rockets team in terms of their inconsistency. Regardless, Houston is now 23-28 on the season, and desperately trying to stay in the Play-In race out West.

Rockets Head North for Final Battle with Raptors

Border Skirmish.    Steady Without Freddy.    Must-Win?

The Rockets and Raptors meet for the second time in eight days on Friday night as Houston continues their road-trip in Toronto. Since losing to the Rockets last Friday, the Raptors have gone 1-2, with a victory over the lowly Hornets in their previous game, before losses to the Pelicans and Thunder. Houston, meanwhile, has gone 0-2, starting this road trip with losses to the Timberwolves and the Pacers. The squad will look to get back on track against a Raptors team that was active before the February 8th trade deadline. Toronto dealt point guard Dennis Schroder to the Nets, and after waiving Brooklyn’s Spencer Dinwiddie, are reportedly receiving Utah’s Kelly Olynyk. Regardless, the Dinos are in full-rebuild mode, and this Rockets team is desperate to improve their performance on the road. Houston won the first matchup last Friday in a 135-106 beatdown at Toyota Center.

One major key factor has changed since the Rockets last victory, their previous win over Toronto. Ex-Raptor Fred VanVleet suffered an injury in Minnesota, and didn’t play against Indiana. He won’t be available to face his former team on Friday night, as the Rockets will be without their starting point guard for an unspecified amount of time. They performed better than expected without FVV in Indy, they just fell apart in the third quarter and the clutch. Had a healthy VanVleet been on the court, Houston would’ve likely won that game. For now, the Rockets will have to wade the waters the best they can without their floor leader.

Even with FVV on the sidelines, Houston should still beat this Toronto squad tonight. The Rockets came up just short in Indiana, showing improved effort compared to their dismal performance to start the road trip in Minnesota. Tonight’s matchup is by far the easiest on this four-game trip for Houston. It’s not a must-win game tonight, but the result will reveal a lot about this Rockets team, and their future this season. The squad is currently 23-27, good for 12th place in the West. Houston is 1.5 games behind Golden State and Utah for the final Play-In spot. The squad is 50 games into the season, and every one of these last 32 games count if the Rockets want a chance to sneak into the playoffs.

 

Scotiabank Arena:  Toronto, Canada

 

Jersey Colors:

Houston Rockets (23-26):  White

Toronto Raptors (17-33):  Black

 

Tip-Off:  6:30 PM CT

TV:  Space City Home Network,  NBA League Pass

Rockets Lose Steam in Indy, Fall to Pacers, 132-129

All for Naught.    Third Quarter Misery.    Losing Pace.

Houston’s road woes continued, as the Rockets fell to the Indiana Pacers, 132-129, on Tuesday night. Pascal Siakam led Indy with 29 points, Myles Turner added 21 points, and Tyrese Haliburton had 18 points including a clutch dagger that sealed the game for the Pacers. Houston actually led this game by 7 points at halftime, but another dreadful third quarter gave Indy control of the game. The Pacers outscored the Rockets 38-24 in the third quarter, and while Jalen Green scored 12 of his team-leading 30 points to fuel a fourth quarter run, but it was all for naught, as Houston lost once again on the road.

All the Rockets’ starters scored at least 13 points. Jabari Smith Jr. bounced back from his worst game of the season with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Alperen Sengun had another well-rounded game, registering 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists. And Amen Thompson almost single-handedly brought the Rockets within the lead with his hustle and defense late in the contest. Thompson finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 blocks in one of the best games of his career so far.

Houston is now 5-18 on the road, and while they’re schedule has been tough, things will ease up a bit as the Rockets close out their road-trip. The squad has two days off before traveling north of the border to face the Raptors on Friday night. Afterwards, Houston will fly to Atlanta to battle the Hawks on Saturday night. Toronto is in full-rebuilding mode, and the Rockets should be able to beat the Raptors once again, especially after two days off. Atlanta is in tenth place in the East, and with a losing record, the Hawks have underperformed this season. If Houston wants to avoid losing pace in the standings, they need to win these next couple of games.

The Rockets are now 12th place in the West, behind the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz for the 10th and final Play-In spot. If Houston’s road woes continue this weekend, their hopes of sneaking into the playoffs will be slim at best. Expect the Rockets to be ready to finally get a road win when they play their lone game in Canada on Friday night.

Rockets Travel to Indy, Face-Off Against Pacers

Road Desperation.    Keep Pace.    Defensive Mindset.

The Rockets, desperate for a road win, visit the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night in the second match of their four-game trip. Houston is coming off a blowout loss in Minnesota to the Timberwolves. Indiana is coming off a road win over the Hornets, snapping a three-game losing streak for the Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton is once again questionable for this contest. The All-Star guard recently returned from an injury, but he’s been on a minutes restriction over his last four games, not playing over 22 minutes since returning. Haliburton’s questionable tonight due to left hamstring strain injury management, but it remains to be seen if Indy will hold out their young star. Regardless if he plays, the Pacers are an offensive juggernaut, leading the NBA in scoring. Indy presents a tough matchup for a Rockets team that’s struggling mightily on the road. Houston will look to get back on track and win their sixth road game of the season tonight, but they’ll have to keep pace with Indiana’s offense.

If Haliburton plays, he’ll be the primary focal point of Indy’s offense. The Pacers have plenty of other weapons as well. Center Myles Turner is having another solid season, and possesses the kind of size that may give Alperen Sengun issues in the paint. Indiana won the first matchup back in Houston the day after Christmas, in a close affair, 123-117. Since then, the Pacers made one of the big trades in the NBA, acquiring All-Star forward Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors. Siakam is one of the league’s best two-way players. He will likely induce headaches for this Rockets roster, including former teammate Fred VanVleet. FVV and Siakam were teammates on Toronto’s 2019 team that won the Championship. Hopefully VanVleet has some inside information on how to stop one of his former longtime teammates.

If Houston wants any chance to pull the upset in Indy tonight, they need to come into this match with a defensive mindset. The Pacers have the league’s best offense, and while they may not play much defense, they have been largely successful at outscoring their opponents. The Rockets have shown that they struggle mightily shooting the three, and in general offensively on the road. That will need to chance tonight if Houston wants any chance at their sixth road victory. Aaron Nesmith has been on a tear recently for Indiana. The Rockets can’t let the young guard get going, or it could be another long night on the road for Houston. Tonight’s matchup doesn’t pose the imposing size challenge the Rockets faced in Minnesota, but the Pacers are still a playoff-bound team with a lot of firepower. Houston aims to slow down Indy’s horses tonight, as the Rockets are in desperate search for a road win.

 

Gainbridge Fieldhouse:  Indianapolis, Indiana

 

Jersey Colors:

Houston Rockets (23-26):  White

Indiana Pacers (28-23):  Navy

 

Tip-Off:  6:00 PM CT

TV:  Space City Home Network,  NBA League Pass

Rockets Mauled By Wolves, 111-90, to Begin Road Trip

Big Bad Matchup.    Another Road Blow.    Falling Out.

It’s a good thing this Rockets team only has to play the Wolves one more time. Minnesota showed once again, why they are one of the toughest matchups in the league. The Timberwolves used a third quarter run to pounce on Houston, dealing the Rockets a 111-90 defeat. Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 32 points, as Houston had no answers defensively for the Wolves’ budding superstar. Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with 15 points, as Houston was outmatched once again by a bigger, better Minnesota squad. This game was only a four point contest at halftime, but the Wolves dominated the second half en route to dealing the Rockets another blowout loss.

Houston is now 5-17 away from home, the second worst mark on the road in the West, only to the last-place Spurs. The Rockets have three more road games coming up on this trip, and they won’t be as challenging as the Timberwolves. Houston will travel to Indiana on Tuesday, before heading to Toronto and Atlanta over the weekend for a back-to-back beginning Friday. Hopefully the Rockets can win at least two of these three road games. Houston lost to Indiana and Atlanta at home earlier this season, and smashed the Raptors in their last win a couple games ago.

The Rockets are now 23-26, still in 11th place in the Western Conference. However, they lead the Golden State Warriors (22-25) by a mere percentage point in the standings. Houston only trails Utah by one game for the 10th and final Play-In position. It’s likely the Warriors will make a late-season push to try and sneak into one of the final spots. The Rockets are in danger of falling out of the race if they can’t improve their play on the road. These next three games will likely determine if Houston is still in the playoff mix, or if they’re falling out of the picture altogether.

Rockets Visit Timberwolves, Start Four Game Road-Trip

Headed North.    Top of the Food Chain.    First 22.   

The Rockets head north to start a four-game road-trip on Sunday night. First up, the squad will battle the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are currently tied for first in the West, and have been near the top of the standings the entire season. This will be by far the toughest test on this road-trip. After this matchup, Houston travels to Indiana, Toronto, and then Atlanta respectively. The Pacers won’t be easy, but the final two teams are beatable, despite the games coming on a back-to-back. Tonight, the Rockets are once again facing a great team coming off a loss, as has been the case seemingly many times this season. The Wolves lost by two points to the Orlando Magic at home in their previous game, and will be hungry to get back on the winning track. Houston is coming off a 135-106 beatdown over the Toronto Raptors at home.

Minnesota won the first battle between these teams, 122-95, back in Houston on January 5th. The Rockets will aim to display more effort, and make round two a much closer contest between these squads. The Wolves have no major injuries at the moment, so that means we’ll be seeing the usual, dangerous suspects in Minnesota. This includes Anthony “Ant-Man” Edwards, Karl-Anthony Tows, and Rudy Gobert. Edwards and Towns were both recently named All-Star reserves for the Western Conference. Ant-Man is having an MVP-Caliber season, and KAT dropped a career-high 62 points a few weeks ago. Rudy Gobert is once again a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, and will likely cause Sengun major headaches in the paint tonight. Houston has to hope their rookies keep rolling, and hopefully Jalen Green bounces back after a sub-par game against the Raptors.

Unfortunately, the Rockets will still be without Tari Eason, who is missing his 18th straight game of the season due to left lower leg injury management. Last year as a rookie, Eason played in all 82 games of the season. Houston just hasn’t been the same team since his departure with the injury. The close games they were winning earlier in the season they’re now losing, and the Rockets are now getting blown out in games they’d hang around in with Eason on the court. Houston started the season 13-9, the most games they’ve been over .500 all year. The Rockets need to find a way to return to that playing style. Over those games, the majority of the losses were close, with Houston competitive in nearly every matchup. Eason isn’t expected to be out too much longer, but after tonight, only 33 games remain in the season. The Rockets need their energizer bunny back as quickly as possible. Hopefully they can pull off a huge upset without him to start this road-trip.

 

Target Center:  Minneapolis, Minnesota

 

Jersey Colors:

Houston Rockets (23-25):  Black

Minnesota Timberwolves (34-15):  White

 

Tip-Off:  6:00 PM CT

TV:  Space City Home Network,  NBA League Pass

Rockets Eviscerate Raptors, 135-106, in Blowout Win

Rookie Showcase.    Paint Patrollers.    Rolling Reserves.

Houston closed their three-game home-stand with a defiant 135-106 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night. The Rockets dominated the contest from the opening tip, and improved to 23-25 on the season. This feels like the first time in ages since Houston has strung four quarters of solid basketball together. All fourteen Rocket players scored, and they were led by the youngsters who put on a rookie showcase. Cam Whitmore continues to be a revelation since receiving ample playing time. Whitmore scored a career-high 25 points on 10-for-17 shooting from the floor, and grabbed 6 rebounds. Amen Thompson also had a career-scoring night, registering 19 points on a terrific 9-for-11 shooting from the field. Thompson had a well-rounded game as he compiled 7 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals, and a block to accompany his scoring. The rookies are obviously gaining more comfortability with increased playing time, and their production has shown their growth in confidence. Alperen Sengun had another fantastic game for Houston. Sengun scored 24 points, grabbed 13 boards, and dished out 8 dimes in another near triple-double affair. Jalen Green had a quieter night against the Raptors, scoring 14 points on 7-for-14 shooting. Green failed to hit a three-point shot after being very efficient over his last three games from beyond the arc. Scottie Barnes led Toronto with 28 points, and new-addition Immanuel Quickly added 25, but the Rockets were in control of the game from start to finish.

This game was absolutely dominated in the paint by Houston, who scored their most interior points in over 20 years. The Rockets scored a whopping 84 points in the paint, outscoring the Raptors by 30 in the interior. Houston was able to get whatever they wanted around the rim, as Toronto has no real rim protectors on their team, and this was on fully display on Friday night. The Rocket reserves were also superb against the Dinos. Houston’s bench scored 70 points, outscoring the Raptors by 40, as they managed only 30 points from their reserves. Six players scored in double figures for Houston, and every single player scored at least a bucket.

The squad has now gone 2-1 over their past three games. They’ll try and take these winning ways on the road, as the Rockets prepare to embark on a four-game road trip. Only six games remain before the All-Star Break, and five of them are on the road. Houston is still only 5-16 on the road. They are tied in the West with the last-place Spurs for the least road wins in the Conference. The Rockets really need to start winning a few games away from Toyota Center. Houston lost some heartbreakers on the road earlier in the season, but hopefully on this upcoming trip, they can go at least 2-2 over the next four games. They’ll need to if they want to stay in the running for a Play-In Spot. The Rockets are currently still in 11th place, one spot behind the final Play-In position. They’ll need to be ready to play immediately on the road as the first test is the toughest. Houston will travel to Minnesota to face the first-place Timberwolves, as they embark on the road, hoping for more success than in the past.