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Rockets Hope to End Skid as Wolves Come to Town

Part 2.    Slowing Ant.    3 in 4.

The Rockets return home to Toyota Center to face the team that beat them on Saturday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves. Houston enters this game skidding on a 13 game losing streak. Meanwhile, the Wolves, winners of 8 of their last 11 games, are headed in the opposite direction. This is the second part of the home and home between these teams. It’s hard to beat a team twice in the NBA, so hopefully the Rockets learned some lessons from Saturday night’s loss.

If Houston wants any chance to win the rematch on Monday night, they’ll have to do a better job on Anthony Edwards defensively. Edwards exploded for 44 points on Saturday night, and fueled Minnesota to the comeback victory. The Rockets need to hold the “Ant-Man” below 30 points. If Edwards goes off for another 30 or 40-point performance, Houston is likely staring at another loss. Expect Alperen Sengun to get ample opportunities once again, although he should receive even more shots on offense. Sengun was extremely efficient, but only took 11 shots on Saturday night. If the Rockets want to take advantage of a hobbled Minnesota team inside, they need to give Sengun more opportunities in the paint. With Kevin Porter Jr. still out with an injury, the offense should be run through Alperen Sengun. The big man has shown he’s the best passer on the team, and usually makes the right decision.

Monday night’s game is the first of three home games in four night for the Rockets. Houston plays a back-to-back at Toyota Center on Wednesday and Thursday against the Wizards and Cavaliers respectively. Hopefully some home cooking can break this losing streak, which has now reached an unlucky 13 games. The Rockets have seemingly ran out of gas in the third or fourth quarter in each of their past six games. Houston’s had the lead, or a legitimate chance to win all six contests, but their struggles to put four consistent quarters of efficient basketball together have kept victory at bay for the Rockets. Eventually this skid will end. The squad is too talented to continue to lose every single game. Will tonight be the night that some luck falls on their side? Tune in to find out.

 

Toyota Center:  Houston, Texas

 

Jersey Colors:

Minnesota Timberwolves (24-24):  Blue

Houston Rockets (10-36):  Red

 

Tip-Off:  7:00 PM CT

TV:  AT&T Sportsnet SW,  NBA League Pass

Rockets Prone to Another Second-Half Collapse in 113-104 Loss to Wolves

Same Old Story.    Ant World.    Switching Locales.

It was the same old story for the Houston Rockets on Saturday night, as they lost to the Timberwolves, 113-104. The defeat gives Houston their 13th in a row, and 18 losses in their last 19 games overall. The Rockets once again led any double-digits in the second half, and let their opponent rally for a victory. Houston was outscored by 11 points in the second half, after securing a 2 point lead at halftime. Once that dreadful eight minute mark of the third quarter hit, the Rockets ran out of gas.

Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with 19 points and 16 rebounds. Anthony Edwards did the majority of the damage for Minnesota. Edwards scored a whopping 44 points, and took control and seemed to score where he wanted, when he wanted. Edwards even posterized Sengun twice, displaying his amazing athleticism and dunking ability. Houston will need to focus heavily on Edwards defensively if they want to win the rematch on Monday night. The Rockets also need to improve their free throw shooting, as they had their worst performance from the charity stripe all season on Saturday night.

These two teams will square off again, this time back in Houston, on Monday night. The Rockets will aim to out four quarters together for the first time since December 26th, the day of their last victory. Houston is in one of the worst slumps in franchise history. Sooner or later, pride has to kick in for these young players. They have to be tired of losing every game in essentially the same fashion.

Rockets Visit Timberwolves in First of Home-and-Home

Part 1.    Missing Juniors.    Utilizing Sengun.

Today is Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon’s birthday, the greatest player in Houston Rockets franchise history. The legendary center turns 60 today, and Houston would love to get a victory on his milestone birthday. The Rockets head to Minnesota for the first of two games against the Wolves, the second being on Monday night back in Houston. Minnesota has been playing well lately. they’re coming off a comeback win last night over the Raptors, and they’ve won 7 of their last 10 games overall. The Rockets, meanwhile, are still mired in their worst losing streak of the season, which has now reach 12 games. Houston is desperate for a win. Jalen Green is coming off his best performance of the season. Green tied his career-high with 41 points on an efficient shooting night from the floor. He’ll look to replicate that performance in a win tonight for the Rockets in Minnesota.

Houston will be without Jabari Smith Jr. for Saturday night’s contest, and Kevin Porter Jr. is still out with a knee injury. The Rockets will need guys like Tari Eason, who’s expected to make his first career start, KJ Martin, and others to step up and have big games. Lucky for the Rockets, Minnesota isn’t at full strength either. The Wolve have been without Karl-Anthony Towns for roughly a month, and now they’ll be without their other twin tower, Rudy Gobert, for tonight’s matchup.

Expect Alperen Sengun to have a big game tonight minus MInny’s Twin Towers. Sengun will have to contend with the likes of Naz Reid, Jaden MacDaniels, and Kyle Anderson in place of Gobert and Towns. Sengun has been on a roll in the month of January. Don’t expect him to slow his roll tonight, hopefully the Rockets can finally utilize his talents en route to a victory. It’s Hakeem’s birthday night… a perfect time to for Sengun and to channel his “inner-Dream”, and potentially finally end this losing streak.

 

Target Center:  Minneapolis, Minnesota

 

Jersey Colors:

Houston Rockets (10-35):  White

Minnesota Timberwolves (23-24):  Black

 

Tip-Off:  7:00 PM CT

TV:  AT&T Sportsnet SW,  NBA League Pass

Rocket-Bottom:  Rockets Hit New Low in 122-117 Loss to Hornets

No Weak Side.    Slow Break.    Value the Ball.

Despite Jalen Green’s 41 points, the Rockets still fell victim to another defeat, losing to the Hornets, 122-117, on Wednesday night. Green’s 41 points tied his career-high, and he finally shot the ball well, but Houston suffered another late collapse as the losing streak extends to 13 straight games. Terry Rozier led the Hornets with 26 points. Alperen Sengun had another dominant performance for the Rockets, with a 24-point, 12-rebound double-double. However, as a team, Houston is out of sorts. They led by 7 points at halftime, but the Hornets outscored them by 12 in the second-half, as the Rockets endured arguably their worst performance of the season.

Not only did Houston lead at the end of the second and third quarters, but the Hornets best player, LaMelo Ball, suffered an ankle injury and left the game well before it was over. To make matters worse, Jabari Smith Jr. suffered an ankle sprain for Houston, and will likely miss some time in the near future. At the time this game was played, Charlotte also had the worst record in the NBA besides the Rockets (that honor now belongs to Detroit). Houston had no reason to lose this game. Playing at home, with a lead, against an undermanned Hornets team. This was the worst loss of the season for the Rockets. It’s like they run out of gas at some point during the third period, and everything goes wrong. This trend has now occurred in 5 straight games for Houston.

How can they buck this terrible trend? They really need to improve their defense by playing with more effort. There was hardly any help on the weak side defensively for the Rockets on Wednesday night. If they want to improve their defense, they have to start playing as a team, instead being solely focused on stopping their individual man. Houston has also been a terrible transition team, on both ends of the court. The Rockets desperately needs to start hustling on transition. Charlotte outscored Houston 25-6 on the fast break Wednesday night. The Rockets have missed too many layups and easy baskets near the hoop. If the squad can’t finish the easiest plays, Houston’s in a for a long end to this season. Arguably the worst issue for the Rockets has been their turnover problem. They rank last in the league in turnovers per game, and they lead to so many easy opportunities for the opponent. Up next, Houston aims to break the skid as they head up to Minnesota for the first of two games against the Timberwolves on Saturday night. 

Rockets Host Hornets in Matchup of NBA’s Worst Records

Buzzkill.    Bottom Feeder Battle.    Turn the Lights On.

The Rockets return home on the heels of an 11-game losing streak, losers of 16 of their last 17 games overall, firmly pitting them in last place in the Western Conference. Houston hosts the team with the worst record in the East on Wednesday night, as the Charlotte Hornets come to town. The Rockets are 10-34 on the season, while the Hornets are 11-34 so far this year. This winner of tonight’s matchup will have the better record, pitting the loser firmly in hold of the NBA’s worst record. Charlotte’s main threat is their backcourt, which consists of LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier. Both players are capable of scoring 30 or more points on any given night. Houston will need to play better defense than they displayed on their recent road trip if they want to stop the Hornets’ backcourt from torching the Rockets tonight. 

This is by far the Rockets best chance to break their skid for a while. The Hornets are clearly one of the worst teams in the NBA, and Houston needs to take advantage of playing a fellow Bottom Feeder. Hopefully, the team displays the kind of effort they showed in the second half in Los Angeles, but for a full four quarters for once. The Rockets have struggled mightily to put four consistent quarters of efficient basketball together.

After tonight, Houston hits the road for matchup with the Wolves in Minnesota on Friday. It’s a brief stop back home for the Rockets tonight. Fans have to hope playing in the bright lights of the dimmed Lakers’ court and LeBron James inspired these young Rockets to play better basketball. Houston has the talent to beat this Charlotte team. Alperen Sengun is coming off the best game of his life. He’ll look to put Miles Plumlee, P.J. Washington, and other Hornets tonight in the mixer. Stephen Silas should give Sengun more playing time from now on. Unless the big man’s in foul trouble, he needs to be on the court as much as possible. The Rockets offense is clearly a different beast with Sengun on the court… imagine the buzz it would garner if Sengun was utilized efficiently? Expect more Showtime-like action from Sengun tonight as Houston tries to kill their buzzing losing streak.

 

Toyota Center:  Houston, Texas

 

Jersey Colors:

Charlotte Hornets (11-34):  White

Houston Rockets (10-34):  Black

 

Tip-Off:  7:00 PM CT

TV:  AT&T Sportsnet SW,  NBA League Pass

Rockets Come Up Short, 140-132, Fall to LeBron’s Lakers

Better Effort.    Showtime Sengun.    Learning Lessons.

Compared to the first three games on this road trip, the Rockets actually made their latest loss, 140-132, to the Lakers, a relatively competitive contest for the majority of Monday night. Houston trailed by 12 points at halftime, but then roared back in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 4 points heading into the fourth quarter. Too much LeBron James, who had a season-high 48 points, and Russell Westbrook, who contributed 24 points off the bench, ultimately prevented a Rockets comeback. Alperen Sengun had the game of his life on MLK day. Sengun scored a career-high 33 points on 14-for-17 shooting. Houston’s sensational big man also registered 15 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 blocks on the evening.

Sengun was unstoppable, even drawing the lure of LeBron James when he had the ball late in the game. The Turkish big man was putting everyone else in the mixer. That’s a huge compliment for Sengun that King James finally decided to guard him when the game was on the line. If only the Rockets would utilize Sengun more often in the offense. This game should be an average game for Sengun, but because he’s rarely used efficiently in Stephen Silas’ offense, this performance is merely an outlier for now, until the coach shows more confidence in him. The secret is already out: Sengun is the best player on this team, at least right now. He almost single-handedly kept Houston within striking distance against the Lake Show. After a slow start, Jalen Green finished with 23 points, but continues searching for consistency with his shot. KJ Martin had 17 points in another stellar outing as a starter, but overall the Rockets were dominated by LeBron and the Lakers late in the clutch when the game was on the line. James had one of his best performances of the year as he made sure Houston’s losing streak didn’t end in his house.

Up next, Houston travels home for one game to host the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday before heading on the road again. Hopefully, the Rockets took some learning lessons from LeBron and the LakeShow in the Monday night loss. The Hornets have the worst record in the East, and if the Rockets can beat them, they will move ahead of them in the overall league standings. Regardless, it will be a battle of the NBA’s worst teams record-wise. Wednesday’s game will need to be one for the ages if it wants to draw comparisons to what we witnessed in Hollywood on Monday.

Rockets Visit Lakers in Finale of West Coast Road-Trip

Part 2 in LA.    Aging King.    End of the Road.

The Rockets close their road-trip with a meeting with LeBron James and the Lakers on Monday night. It’s the first matchup between Houston and the Lake Show this season. Both teams played yesterday, with the Lakers losing a nail biter at home to the Philadelphia 76ers. Houston suffered a blowout loss at the hands of the Lakers’ roomates, the Clippers. The Rockets are riding a ten-game losing streak. The Lakers have lost three straight, after running off five straight wins. Jalen Green and Jae’Sean Tate will return from their suspensions tonight. Kevin Porter Jr. is still out with a left knee injury. For Los Angeles, they’ve been without Anthony Davis for a few weeks, and he’ll remain out tonight. Russell Westbrook is now coming off the bench for the Lakers, as they’re desperately trying to dust-off a poor start to their season, given the expectations. The Lakers are currently 19-24, but given the parity in the Western Conference this season, L.A. finds themselves only two games out of the final play-in spot.

Even at age 38, LeBron James is still one of the best players on the planet, and the one of the smartest basketball players on the floor. Aging hasn’t stopped him (yet) from being a force in transition. The Rockets will need to play their best transition defense of the season if they want a chance to upset the Lakers tonight. And that’s asking a lot, considering Houston’s transition defense has been the worst in the league. Hopefully, Sengun sees more minutes against a Lakers team that is weak in the frontcourt without Davis in the lineup.

This is the final game of what has been a miserable road-trip for the Rockets. They’re 0-3 on the trip, with second-half collapses coming in all three games. Houston aims to put four quarters together tonight. They should get a boost with the return of Green and Tate. Hopefully, Daishen Nix doesn’t see 36 minutes of playing time, and the Rockets can have a more efficient performance overall. Houston usually plays well against the Lakers in Los Angeles. Maybe the dimmed lights of the arena formerly known as “Staples Center” will influence Rockets to staple their minds to the game plan… and close this road trip by ending the skid.

 

Crypto.com Arena:  Los Angeles, California

 

Jersey Colors:

Houston Rockets (10-33):  White

Los Angeles Lakers (19-24):  Yellow

 

Tip-Off:  9:30 PM CT

TV:  AT&T Sportsnet SW,  NBA TV

Rockets Collapse Late Again in 121-100 Loss to Clippers

Rotting on the Vine.    Necessary Conversion.    Staying Put.

Another road game, and the same old story for theses Rockets. Houston collapsed in the fourth quarter, as they fell to the Clippers, 121-100, on Sunday afternoon. The Rockets held a narrow lead at halftime, and trailed by only one point entering the final quarter, but Los Angeles dominated Houston in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Rockets 30-10 in the period. The loss is Houston’s 10th straight, and they’ve now lost 15 of their last 16 games overall. The Rockets are rotting on the vine as struggle to get past the ten-win mark as we’re firmly into the second half of the season.

Terrance Mann led the way for the Clips with a career-high 31 points. Kawhi Leonard added 30 points in his first matchup with Houston this season. Eric Gordon had a season-high 24 points to lead the Rockets, and KJ Martin had another solid performance, adding 22 points as he garnered another start with all of Houston’s missing players. The Rockets gave a valiant effort through three quarters, but as we witnessed in Sacremento, Houston just seems to run out of gas in the second half. The squad plays so hard, as if they exert all their energy in the first two and a half quarters. An NBA game is a marathon, not a sprint, and the Rockets need to start saving some of their energy for later in the contest.

Alperen Sengun had another solid game, as he barely eclipsed the 30-mintute mark despite the undermanned lineup for Houston. I don’t know why, but Stephen Silas has trouble giving Sengun the minutes he deserves. Silas took Sengun out of the game when it was tied 80-80. When Sengun returned to the floor 8 minutes later, the Rockets found themselves staring at a 9-point deficit. If Silas can’t convert to Sengun-ism soon, he has no chance of keeping his seat (which continues to heat) as Houston’s Head Coach. And Daishen Nix, who drew the start at point guard, had a torridly inefficient line in 36 minutes. Nix scored only 1 point, while snagging 1 rebound and 2 assists. He had 4 turnovers and 3 fouls, and he missed both of his shots (two three-pointers). If Nix is going to see more action than Sengun, he needs to produce well above the numbers he put up on Sunday afternoon. The Rockets sorely missed the liked of Jae’Sean Tate, Jalen Green, and Kevin Porter Jr. in the fourth quarter when the game got out of hands.

Up next for Houston, the squad stays put in Los Angeles. The Rockets take on the Lakers in the same building on Monday night. It’s the first matchup between Houston and LeBron’s Lakers this season. Hopefully the Rockets get reinforcements back as they get set to battle King James on Monday night.

Rockets Face Clippers in Sunday Matinee Matchup

Early Birds.    Missing Weapons.    Final Chance.

Houston travels to Los Angeles, for a weekend back-to-back against the L.A. teams this weekend. First, the Rockets take on the Clippers Sunday afternoon, in what will be the final time Houston faces off against Paul George and the Clips this season. The Rockets will then play LeBron James and the Lakers for the first time this season on Monday night. Houston enters Sunday’s game with the Clippers on a 9-game losing streak. The Rockets have lost 14 of their last 15 games overall, as the squad’s really hit the “Dog Days” of the NBA season, albeit earlier than most teams in the league. Houston has the NBA’s worst record, at 10-32, and have all but guaranteed a spot in the NBA’s draft lottery this summer. The Rockets are now playing for pride. They won’t win many games, but should aim to at least top the 20-victory mark. The last time they won, Houston wore black.  The Rockets will be sporting the black jerseys this afternoon, so maybe a little wardrobe magic help the squad break the skid.

On Sunday afternoon, Houston will be playing as shorthanded as they’ve ever been the squad in the Jalen Green Era. During Friday night’s Sacramento Scuffle, mainly between Garrison Mathews and Malik Monk, Jalen Green and Jae’Sean Tate did   temporarily leave the bench, as they were not in the game at the time. Under the NBA rules, that is a suspension, and both players miss Sunday’s game for Houston. The Rockets are still without Kevin Porter Jr. as well, who suffered a left knee contusion early Wednesday night in Sacramento. KPJ is listed as day-to-day on the injury report, but the Rockets won’t have him for sure on Sunday afternoon. Expect to see an interesting array of Houston rotations, as Stephen Silas is playing with a shortened deck against Tye Lue’s Clippers. Los Angeles limps into this game without Paul George, and in a funk themselves. The Clips are 1-7 in their last 8 games. L.A. went 7-2 in the previous 9 games before their struggles started. Sunday’s matchup is a battle between two shorthanded and slumping squads.

This is the Rockets’ final chance to beat the Clips this season. Houston is 0-3 against Los Angeles so far this season. The first matchup was a heartbreaking loss in L.A., as the Rockets collapsed late to lose by only two points. The two games in Houston were both essentially dominated by the Clippers. The Rockets will look to flip that trend in their final chance to take down the Clips. Houston is extremely shorthanded, but L.A. will be without Paul George for the firth straight game. This is the first time the Rockets will get a glimpse of the creator of Load Management himself, Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi missed Houston’s first three games due to injury, rest, or load management. It’s hard to tell with Leonard. Since winning the title with Toronto back in 2019, Kawhi’s missed more games than he’s played, and the Clippers haven’t been the title contender many expended when he came to town. For Sunday’s game, the shorthanded Rockets will have to hope their reservists step up and everyone plays the game of their life, if they want any chance to upset the Clippers in the final matchup this season. 

 

Crypto.com Arena:  Los Angeles, California

 

Jersey Colors:

Houston Rockets (10-32):  Black

Los Angeles Clippers (22-22):  White

 

Tip-Off:  2:00 PM CT

TV:  AT&T Sportsnet SW,  NBA League Pass

Rockets Unravel in Second Half, Fall to Kings, 139-114

Tale of Two Halves.    Early Deja Vu.    Mounting Frustrations.   

Houston fought hard in the first half on Friday night, but the Rockets lost their ninth straight game overall, and second in a row to Kings, 139-114, in Sacramento. This game was truly a tale of two halves. The Rockets were outscored by only 3 points, 69-66, in the first half. However, in the second half Sacramento dominated Houston, outscoring them by 22 points en route to a blowout victory. Harrison Barnes was on fire from beyond the arc, leading the Kings in scoring with 27 points. De’Aaron Fox had 24 points just as he did on Wednesday, and Domantas Sabonis had a triple-double for Sacramento, registering 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 16 assists. Houston was led by Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. in scoring, both players scored 27 points on the night. Just his team’s performance, Green had a the best half of his career over the first two quarters, with 25 of his 27 coming in the first 24 minutes. He only managed 2 points in the second half, as the Rockets were dominated coming out of halftime.

Jabari Smith Jr.’s 27 points are a career-high for Houston’s promising rookie, who also secured 8 boards and 3 blocks, in one of the best games of his early career. Smith Jr. shot over 50%, 11-for-20 from the field on Friday, although he went only 2-for-7 from three-point range. Alperen Sengun registered 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 dimes. No other Rockets player reached double-figures, as Houston was overpowered in the second half. In the first matchup between these teams in Sacramento on Wednesday, the Rockets managed to stay with the Kings, until Sacramento pulled away in the fourth quarter. On Friday night, Houston experienced an earlier version of that deja vu, hanging with the Kings for the first half, before Sacramento punished the Rockets in the second half, turning the game into another blowout.

The loss is Houston’s ninth in a row, and the Rockets are 1-14 in their last 15 games overall. Frustrations are really starting to mount for this young team. Maybe it was seeing the Kings twice in three days, but Garrison Mathews and Malik Monk got into a scuffle that involved both players being ejected from the game. Garry Bird gave Monk an average NBA-shove, which apparently irritated Monk, who then immaturely poked the ball away from Mathews when play was stopped, which initiated the altercation. Houston will now head to Los Angeles for a back-to-back on Sunday and Monday against the Clippers and Lakers respectively. If the Rockets want to avoid reaching a double-digit skid, Houston will need to be ready earlier than usual on Sunday for an early afternoon matinee matchup against the Clippers.