Month: February 2025

Rockets Hit the Big Apple for Matchup with Knicks

Second Road Quartet.    New York, New York.    Missing Quarterback.

The Rockets begin another four game road trip as they visit the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, to face the New York Knicks on Monday night. It’s the first of a Big Apple Doubleheader for Houston, as they’ll play Nets in Brooklyn tomorrow night. Houston is coming off their worst loss in the season, a disappointing 110-98 loss at home to those pesky Nets. The Knicks are coming off a home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night. So both teams enter tonight’s matchup hungry for a win.

After injuring his right ankle in Saturday’s loss to the Nets, Fred VanVleet will miss tonight’s game against the Knicks. And after missing the last two games, both Houston losses, Alperen Sengun is considered questionable entering tonight’s matchup. The Rockets haven’t lost three games in a row all season long, as they try and re-focus against a tough Knicks team tonight.

It’s hard for Houston to play with less effort than they did in their ugly defeat on Saturday. Expect the Rockets to be ready to play with their usual intensity on defense and hustle coming out of the gates. However, without their quarterback and floor leader in VanVleet, it’s going to be very tough to beat one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams in their house. Hopefully, Sengun will be able to make his return to action tonight. Otherwise, Houston has a high mountain to climb if they want to win this game.

New York Head Coach Tom Thibodeau always has his Knicks playing hard. Besides All-Star Starters Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, New York has O.G. Anunoby, Josh Hart, and others to wreak havoc on the court. Houston will need the Stay Ready Crew, and everyone in the lineup to step up their games tonight if they want to pull off the upset. Expect a more spirited game than the Rockets’ sleepwalking effort on Saturday night.

The difference in the game just may be Sengun’s availability. Houston won the first matchup between these squads, 109-97, back in H-Town on November 4th. Sengun led the way for the Rockets in that win with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Houston is praying for their All-Star’s return as they prepare to battle the Knicks at MSG on Monday night.

 

Madison Square Garden:  New York City, New York

 

Jersey Colors:

Houston Rockets (32-16):  Red

New York Knicks (32-17):  White

 

Tip-Off:  6:30 PM CT

TV:  NBA TV,  Space City Home Network

Rockets Lay an Egg in Ugly 110-98 Loss to Nets

Home Sleeping.    Insult to Injury.    Shamstunner.

Houston returned home to sleep in their beds, and didn’t seem to shake the sleepiness, as the Rockets lost to the lowly Nets, 110-98 on Saturday night. It’s one of Houston’s most disappointing losses of the entire season. The Rockets simply weren’t ready to play tonight. Brooklyn outplayed Houston from the opening tip. In a winning effort, Zaire Williams scored 21 points to lead the Nets, and D’Angelo Russell scored 18 points to help Brooklyn maintain a lead throughout the contest.

To add insult to injury, Fred VanVleet suffered a right ankle injury late in the first half, and didn’t return to the game. His absence wasn’t the reason the Rockets lost, they hadn’t played well then entire game. Although Houston’s deficit was only 5 points when FVV exited the contest. After that, the Nets ballooned the lead and the Rockets never threatened to make the game interesting. In a stat-padding performance, Jalen Green scored 29 points to lead Houston.

The Rockets are now 0-2 this season without their All-Star center Alperen Sengun. Houston begins another four-game road trip on Monday night, starting with a matchup in the Big Apple against the Knicks. Hopefully Sengun can return soon, as his injury isn’t expected to be serious.

Roughly an hour and a half after this game ended, news broke that shocked the NBA, and sports world. NBA Senior Insider Shams Charania dropped a Shams-stunner of a tweet, when he reported the Mavericks were trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis. Jimmy Butler’s displeasure in Miami with the Heat has dominated NBA trade talks for weeks. No one saw this Luka/AD trade coming. It’s the biggest and most shocking deal in NBA history. It’s also the first time in league history two All-NBA players were traded midseason. How does the deal impact the Rockets? Well, basically, the Mavericks won’t be as good in the future, and the Lakers will be a potential threat this season.

For now, Houston needs to shake off this tough loss at home, and prepare for another four game road trip. Contrary to last season, the Rockets have played better on the road than they have at home this campaign. Expect the squad to get back on track starting with a double-dose of New York City, as Houston will play the Knicks on Monday, and then these same Nets on Tuesday night.

Rockets Make Brief Home Stop to Host Nets

Middle Home Stop.    New York Triage.    All-Star Questions.

Amidst this road-heavy stretch of the schedule for Houston, the Rockets return home to host the reeling Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night. This matchup at Toyota Center is pitted in between to lengthy road trips for Houston. After tonight’s game, the Rockets will head back on the road for another four game trip. Houston is coming off a tough one point loss, 120-119, to the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night. The squad was still able to go an impressive 3-1 against elite competition (excluding the Atlanta Hawks). The Rockets aim to bounce back against a much weaker Nets team back at home.

Brooklyn won it’s last game, over lowly Charlotte Hornets. However before that win, the Nets had lost twelve of their previous thirteen games. Brooklyn is certainly not playoff bound. Their best player is De’Angelo Russell, and they don’t have much to offer talent-wise. Houston should win this game in blowout fashion. Especially with a four game road trip on the horizon. Tonight’s game is also the first of three straight against New York area teams. Houston’s first two games on their upcoming road trip are against the Knicks and then these same Nets.

Newly-minted All-Star Alperen Sengun didn’t play in Thursday’s loss in Memphis. It’s the first game he’s missed all season long for Houston, and he’s in jeopardy of missing tonight’s contest as well with a calf injury. Jalen Green should feel snubbed he wasn’t named an All-Star. Can Green, Amen Thompson, and others step up to fill Sengun’s void? They should be able to take care of a bad Brooklyn team as long as they say focused, and treat the Nets like a top-tier caliber opponent. Ben Simmons comes off the bench now for Brooklyn, and for some reason, tonight feels like game where he might be a factor.

Head Coach Ime Udoka’s done a fantastic job all season, and he should have the Rockets ready to return to the winning track on Saturday night. Tonight is the easiest victory availble for the Rockets before the All-Star break, and they need to take advanatge of a very winnable contest. It’s a brief home stop for Houston… expect the Rockets to care of business against these inferior Nets before the going gets tougher on the road again.

 

Toyota Center:  Houston, Texas

 

Jersey Colors:

Brooklyn Nets (15-33):  White

Houston Rockets (32-15):  Black

 

Tip-Off:  7:00PM CT

TV:  Space City Home Network,  NBA League Pass

Rockets Crumble Late in 120-119 Loss to Grizzlies

Choke Job.    All-Sengun.    Too Bright?

Houston led by ten points at halftime, but Memphis slowly rallied in the second half, as the Rockets lost to the Grizzlies, 120-119, in a thriller on Thursday night. Dillon Brooks said after the game, “we should’ve blown them out,” and it did feel that way. Despite not having Alperen Sengun due to injury for the first time all season, Houston fought with Memphis all the way to the end. To make this affair even, Ja Morant didn’t play for the Grizzlies, as he’s dealing with an injury issue as well. As he’s done all season against the Rockets, Desmond Bane was tremendous, leading Memphis with 24 points. Luke Kennard found a hot streak to add 22 points, and Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 21 points in the win for the Grizz.

In a losing effort, Jalen Green led the Rockets with 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Dillon “The Villain” Brooks scored 22 points against his former team, and Amen Thompson added 21 points for Houston. Starting in place of the injured Sengun, Steven Adams had one of his best games of the season. Adams scored 11 points, grabbed 10 boards, and had 3 assists in 23 minutes. Tari Eason had a solid double-double, scoring 13 points to go with 12 rebounds, and Fred VanVleet contributed 13 points in the loss. FVV had some questionable shots taken near the end of the game. The ball should’ve been in Jalen Green or Amen Thompson’s hands, or VanVleet should’ve run a play instead of basically bricking the Rockets out of a chance for victory.

Despite the loss, Houston owns the tiebreaker with Memphis, having won the the three prior games this season before Thursday’s loss. The Rockets are now only one game in the loss column (32-15) ahead of the Grizzlies (32-16) in the brutally tough Western Conference. And with this loss to Memphis, Houston is now 0-3 on national television this season, with all games coming on the road and on the network TNT. Granted, the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder was in Las Vegas for the NBA Cup Semifinal, but if it’s not in H-Town, consider it a road game. The other national loss came against the Sacramento Kings, a respectable team, despite them seeming to want to break up the roster now by putting their star De’Andre Fox on the trade marker. Is the spotlight of national tv too bright for this Rockets team? No. All these losses were close games (except against the juggernaut that is the OKC Thunder).

Houston’s next chance to play on national tv (barring league schedule changes among televised games) will be in the playoffs. For now, the Rockets need to keep charging along and see if they can maintain hold on the second seed in the West. In good news, Alperen Sengun was named an NBA All-Star, and deservedly so, for the first time in his career. He joins one of seven Western Conference All-Star reserves who will be heading to San Francisco on Valentine’s Day weekend for the big event. Up next, Houston makes a brief stop home to host the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night before heading back on the road for another four-game trip.