Month: December 2024

Rockets Visit Kings to Wrap Up NBA Cup Group Stage

California Dreaming.    4 The Cup.    Extinguish the Beam.

The Houston Rockets begin a three-game road-trip on the left coast out West tonight as they visit the reeling Sacramento Kings. After tonight, Houston will visit Golden State on Thursday, as they try and end their forever-slide against their hated, rival Warriors. Finally, their West-Coast trip ends with a matchup in L.A. at the brand new Intuit Dome against the Clippers. It will be Houston’s first look at “The Wall”, the Clippers’ infamous “fans-only” section that’s already frustrating opposing players. I’ll dive deeper into this intriguing new building as Sunday’s match approaches. Basically, it’s this tilt begins a tough road trip for the Rockets, and presents another early-season measuring stick for this battle-tested young squad. For now, back to tonight’s game.

This matchup marks the final NBA Cup Group Stage game for both teams. Houston has already clinched a berth in the knockout round. Meanwhile, Sacramento has been eliminated. The Kings currently sit in 12th place in the West, with a 9-12 record. Only two seasons removed from a stellar year where they finished third in the conference, Sacramento has regressed once again to begin the year. The Rockets went 3-0 against the Kings last year, but they have to maintain their discipline tonight. Sacramento still boasts plenty of talented players.

De’Aaron Fox is still one of the best crunch time players in the NBA. Domantas Sabonis is a beast inside. Expect a tough battle for Alperen Sengun tonight against another physical, talented big man. Sengun’s started slow in the last three games, but he’s made up for that with dominant second halves. Hopefully, The Wizard has a better first half tonight. This is the site where Sengun suffered his season-ending injury last year. The Rockets have to be extremely thankful they’ve suffered no major injuries to start the season. This Houston squad truly defines playing as a team, and an injury to a key piece could fracture the squad’s future success.

Besides their dynamic All-Star duo, the Kings also have a newly acquired All-Star, in DeMar DeRozan, who played for the Chicago Bulls last season. Sac-Town’s “Big Three” of Fox, Sabonis, and DeRozan combined to score 76 points in the Kings’ previous game, a two point loss at home, to the San Antonio Spurs. They may not be winning at the rate of the previous two seasons, but they still boast a plethora of All-Star talent. Houston has to remain focused defensively, and can’t afford to overlook this Kings team, or they’ll be in store for a loss.

Sacramento has a tradition where they “Light the Beam” after winning games at home. But these Rockets have other plans, as they can clinch the number one overall seed in the West’s knockout round of the NBA Cup with a win. Tonight’s battle marks the first of three straight tough road tests for the young squad. It’s not impossible to dream up three straight wins in California, especially given the squad’s recent performances. This is Houston’s weakest opponent on this road trip, as the Rockets will aim to keep the Kings reeling… and prevent any beams from being lit in Sac-Town on Tuesday night.

 

Golden 1 Center:  Sacramento, California

 

Jersey Colors:

Houston Rockets (15-6):  White

Sacramento Kings (9-12):  Purple

 

Tip-Off:  9:00 PM CT

TV:  Space City Home Network,  NBA League Pass

The Surprise:  Houston Rockets 2024/2025 Quarter Season Review

Growing Up.    Welcome 2 Hell.    The Polarizer.

We’re officially a quarter of the way into the NBA season, and nobody saw these guys coming. Not like this. The Houston Rockets have blasted out of the gates with a 15-6 record, their best start to a season since 2017/2018, when they won a franchise-record 65 games. So why, seemingly out of nowhere, are these Rockets the surprise of NBA through the season’s first quarter? Plenty of reasons, but the simple fact is this young team is finally growing up, individually, and as a cohesive unit. Jalen Green feels like the old man on this team, and he’s only 22 years old. Sengun is also only 22, and Amen Thompson is a spry 21 years of age. His fellow Terror Twin, Tari Eason is the oldest of the core that Houston’s drafted over the past several years. And Eason’s just 23 years old. Give these guys two or three more years to improve, and the Rockets are going to be a serious problem for the rest of the league for years to come. Just look Houston’s defense for an example of this overall team growth. Swarming and switching, as if they were on a collective string. But it’s not just the defense. The ball movement on offense seems to be at a record high, along with the assists. It always takes time to adjust to a new coaching system. And in Ime Udoka’s second season, everyone’s bought in to his system. And while the Rockets still aren’t shooting the ball at an efficient clip, their offensive rebounding and transition dominance have made up for struggles shooting the rock.

Welcome to Hell. If you’re here, you’re not dead. You’re not suffering in eternity. You’re an opposing player going up against the Rockets, and your offensive game plan is about to be wrecked by the Terror Twins, aka Amen Thompson and Tari Eason, who make up the NBA’s best bench duo. Dillon Brooks still guards the other team’s best player to start the game. But it’s not until the Terror Twins enter a game when Houston really starts to wreak havoc on defense. It’s like a pair of your worst favorite relatives showing up unexpectedly at the last minute, only to sadistically ruin Thanksgiving dinner. It’s not a coincidence that the team’s 13-9 start last season coincided with Eason on the court. Eason missed the final 58 games, and the Rockets weren’t the same team without him. Throw in Amen Thompson’s vast improvement in his second season, and you have the NBA’s best bench duo. And while, “watch these two bench guys play defense” isn’t the most enticing elevator pitch, the Terror Twins live up to their nickname. Watching them decimate a good offense is as fun as watching a red-hot offense go off. They don’t so much play defense. Rather, the Terror Twins hellaciously haunt their opponents souls and terrorize their spirits. Courtesy of these Terror Twins, welcome to the NBA’s version of hell: a confounding, incessantly physical experience that is likely to exhaust any opponent.

And now, allow me to introduce you to Jalen Green. Not many NBA players score 41 points one night, only to score 9 points the next game. Such is the inconsistency that has defined Green’s career as we’re a quarter of the way into his fourth season. Green isn’t only the most polarizing member of the Rockets, he’s arguably the most polarizing player in the entire league. One night he plays with the superstar potential Houston fans hoped he’d blossom into by now. Other nights he’s benched in the fourth quarter for one of the Terror Twins, and it’s resulted in wins. If there’s any silver lining regarding Green, he’s followed suit with his teammates, and made solid improvements on defense. When his offense is on, Green is one of the best two-way players in the NBA. But after a deceptive start, Green’s offensive efficient nights are few and far between. Green is the ultimate basketball enigma: and one the Rockets need to eventually solve if they want to be considered a true championship contender. And despite the 60-win pace Houston is currently on, it’s unlikely they reach that mark, or win the title this year. But whoever is planning to better be ready… these Rockets are coming for the throne sooner than anyone anticipated.

Storm-Proof:  VanVleet Propels Rockets to 119-116 Win Over Thunder

FV3.    Fire With Fire.    Quarter Mark.

After surviving two straight road games in overtime, the Rockets looked poised for more extra time once again. However, Fred VanVleet had other ideas. FVV scored a season-high 38 points, as the Rockets surged past the Thunder, 119-116, on Sunday night, for their third straight win. FVV had two huge threes in clutch time, including one from nearly half court and scored 12 of his 38 points in the fourth period. This tightly contested battle was tied six different times in the final 6:30 of the game. But Houston never trailed after VanVleet’s miraculous heave. And Dillon Brooks hit a shot that broke a 113-113 tie, to give the Rockets the lead for good. FVV went 13-for-14 from the charity stripe, including four huge free throws in the final seconds to help Houston prevail. Brooks finished with 16 points and 7 boards, along with another tremendous defensive performance.

For the third straight game, Alperen Sengun had a quiet first half, scoring only 4 points. However, the Western Conference’s Player of the Week woke up once again in the second half. Sengun finished with another near triple-double. and didn’t back down from a tough battle with Isaiah Hartenstein inside the paint. The Wizard scored 20 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and dished out 7 assists in the win. Jabari Smith Jr. registered a very quiet 15 points and 14 rebounds as he continues to play well after a slow start to the season.

After scoring a season-high 41 points in Houston’s previous win in Philly, Jalen Green had much quieter evening versus OKC. Green scored only 9 points, but only took 6 shots in the entire game. His offensive services weren’t needed like they were in the previous matchup. But let’s not forget to mention his improvement on the defensive end. Dillon Brooks and The Terror Twins may receive most of the credit on defense, but Green has stepped up game on that end of the floor as well this year. And it’s a major reason the Rockets are one of the best defensive teams in the entire league. Despite the low-scoring affair from Green, FVV, Sengun and co. picked up the offensive slack late, as the Rockets survived another thrilling game in crunch time.

Houston withstood 32 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. OKC’s superstar was in pure form, but Tari Eason’s defense on the final play prevented SGA from sending the Rockets to their third straight overtime game. The Terror Twins didn’t have outrageous statistical performances, but their presence was felt like always. Amen Thompson and Tari Eason haunted OKC late defensively. SGA scored only 2 points on 1-for-5 shooting in the final quarter. The Thunder are the one of the NBA’s best fourth quarter scoring teams this season. And Houston’s defense managed to hold OKC to only 20 points in the final frame. The Rockets have really been clamping down in late in games, and it’s impressive to watch this young group grow and gel together on the fly. In a game that saw the style evolve from first half finesse into a second half boxing match, the Rockets were able to fight fire with fire. Houston’s versatility was on full display in this victory. The Rockets can win shoot outs, but they can also win (and prefer) gritty rock fights. And that’s what makes this team such a threat to win on any night, as long as they stay healthy. Sunday’s win over OKC is the first time all season Houston has won a game when trailing entering the fourth quarter. These resilient Rockets are for real.

We are now officially a quarter of the way into the season, and only the homerist of homers would’ve expected the Rockets to be where they are now: second place with a record of 15-6, and only a half game out of the top spot in a brutally competitive Western Conference. At this moment, Houston is on pace to win 60 games this season. However, it’s likely the Rockets finish in the 50-win range at best. Coming into the season, “experts” had Houston winning around 45 games. The squad is definitely exceeding everyone’s expectations a quarter of the way into the season. And if the Rockets can keep the poise they displayed in this thrilling win over the Thunder, the sky’s the limit for a Houston team that’s the surprise of the NBA at the league’s quarter pole mark.

Rockets Host Thunder in Battle of West’s Top Teams

Looking Up.    Fair Punishment.    Home Pit Stop.

 

After back-to-back overtime wins on the road, the Rockets got three well-deserved days of rest over the Thanksgiving holiday. Tonight, they host the only team they’re looking up at in the Western Conference standings: the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC sits in first place with a 15-4 record. Houston holds sole position of the second spot with a 14-6 mark to start the season. No one expected the Rockets to be in second place as we near the quarter pole mark of this season. But now, Houston has a chance to narrow the gap between first and second with a win tonight at Toyota Center. 

The Thunder won the first matchup between these teams in blowout fashion, 126-107, back on November 8th in OKC. This time the game will be in the Rockets house, and the Thunder are dealing with a few injuries. Most notably, star center Chet Holmgren is out for an extended time with a hip injury, and won’t play in tonight’s contest. Alex Caruso is also out of this matchup for OKC with an injury. However, they have former Rocket Isaiah Hartenstein back in their lineup. Hartenstein grabbed a monstrous 18 rebounds in the Thunder’s previous win over the Lakers on Friday night. Alperen Sengun’s hustle and improvement will once again be tested tonight against the gritty and efficient Hartenstein.

Houston is seeking to avenge that blowout loss earlier this year in OKC, and serve out a dose of fair punishment for the team formerly known as the Supersonics. The Thunder are really the only team who have out-classed the Rockets this entire season. Besides the loss in OKC, all of Houston’s defeats have been close competitive, with the Rockets having a chance to win despite ultimately losing. They never had a chance the first time around in OKC, but Houston will try to turn the proceedings in their favor as they play round two on their home court. This tilt marks the end of a four-game road-trip for the Thunder, who are seeking a perfect trip with a win in H-Town. The Rockets are aiming to show OKC why this will be their toughest stop, and deal them a loss on Sunday night.

Tonight’s game is a bit of a home pit-stop for Houston. This matchup follows back-to-back road games last week, and after this game, the Rockets head out on a three-game road-trip on the west coast. Houston has the rest advantage tonight as they’ve had three days off. The Thunder last played late Friday night in Los Angeles, beating the Lakers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points in the first matchup between these teams, and the superstar guard is having another MVP-caliber season. SGA scored 36 points in their most recent win. Hopefully, the Terror Twins can slow down SGA in their second meeting this season against the Thunder. If tonight’s game is close and goes down to crunch time, SGA’s performance will likely be the deciding factor in who win this contest.

In his best game of the season, Jalen Green is coming off a season-high 41 point-performance in the squad’s last match, a win over the Sixers on Wednesday. Green struggled in Houston’s first game in OKC, scoring only 14 points. The Rockets need an aggressive minded Green tonight if they want to beat the best team in the West, and edge closer to first place in the standings. Expect a closer contest in round two between these Western foes, as the Rockets try and continue their climb up the standings.

 

Toyota Center:  Houston, Texas

 

Jersey Colors:

Oklahoma City Thunder (15-4):  Blue

Houston Rockets (14-6):  Red

 

Tip-Off:  6:00 PM CT

TV:  Space City Home Network,  NBA League Pass

Road Warriors:  Rockets Escape Philly with Thrilling 122-115 OT Win Over 76ers

Seconds.    Resilient Dogs.    Mini Break.

For the second time in as many nights, the Rockets won a nail-biter in overtime on the road. This time, Houston escaped Philadelphia with another thrilling win in overtime, 122-115, as they edged the 76ers. Tyrese Maxey scored 39 points to lead the Sixers’ attack, but Houston’s defense kept the All-Star guard scoreless in overtime. In his best game of the season, Jalen Green scored a season-high 41 points to lead the Rockets to victory. For Houston, it’s a much-needed bounce-back performance from Green, after the guard’s offensive struggles over the past few games. Green shot an efficient 12-for-20 from the floor, including 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. If Green plays like this on a  consistent basis, the Rockets will be a serious problem for the rest of the league to try and handle. Houston’s already exceeding expectations this season. This win moves the Rockets into sole possession of second place in the Western Conference, trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder, who ironically happens to be Houston’s next opponent.

It wasn’t just Jalen Green’s heroics that saved the Rockets in the City of Brotherly Love on Wednesday night. After another slow first half that saw him score only two points, Alperen Sengun woke up in the second half and overtime, and finished  with 22 points, 14 rebounds, and  7 assists in the win. Sengun dominated in overtime, scoring 11 of Houston’s 14 points in the extra period. And the Terror Twins continue to be the NBA’s best bench duo by a long shot. Amen Thompson was terrific once again. Thompson registered 19 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. And Tari Eason contributed 14 points, 7 boards, and 2 blocks in Houston’s victory. The Terror Twins continue to haunt opposing defenses, leading the NBA in stocks (steals plus blocks) per game. More importantly, they’re hustle and energy inspires their teammate to play with that same grit on defense. It’s why the Rockets are one of the best defenses in the NBA as we near the quarter pole of the season. Houston has shown unforeseen resiliency this season. With The Terror Twins improvement and influence, these Rockets are playing like a pack of hungry, resilient dogs.

Houston will now get a mini-break over the Thanksgiving holiday. The Rockets have a rare three days off before their next game, which is Sunday in Houston versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. The squad has a had a heavy stretch of games packed into just nearly over a month since the season started. It’ll be good for the guys to get some much-needed rest before a very tough test on Sunday. The Thunder are the only team who’s really out-classed the Rockets all season. After a mini-break, Houston gets a chance for some payback in the second meeting between the top two teams in the West coming up this Sunday.