Blog

Rockets Dethrone Kings in 122-97 Romp, Win Third Straight

Something in the Air.    Clamping Down.    Home, Sweet, Home.

The Rockets battered and beat down the Kings for a second straight game, en route to a 122-97 romp. Houston led by as many as 40 points, as they put on another impressive performance, improving to 3-3 on the season. It’s the first time the Rockets have been at .500 since October 22nd, 2021, when the team was 1-1. And for the first time in over three years, something feels different about the air in Houston. Gone are the days of blowout losses, and disappointing letdowns. This Rockets team won’t win every game, but they won’t let their fans down in the process. Ime Udoka has done a tremendous job early in the season, especially considering Houston’s 0-3 start that featured a couple of heartbreaking losses. Jalen Green led the way in scoring with 23 points for the Rockets on a night where most rotational players were out of the game by the fourth quarter. Keon Ellis led Sacramento with 15 points off the bench in game the Kings never made interesting. Houston was in complete control from the opening tip, and didn’t look back on Wednesday night, as they swept this early two-game set with Sacramento.

One of the most notable differences in the Rockets recent string of victories has been their improvement on defense. After giving up over 105 points in each of their first four games, Houston held Sacramento below 100 points in both contests. The squad’s increased effort on the glass was a major reason the defense improved, and they’ll look to continue staying aggressive, attacking the basket for rebounds on both ends of the court. Alperen Sengun continues to be the best player on the Rockets. Sengun dished out career-high 12 assists against the Kings on Monday night. The big man also contributed 17 points and 8 boards on an efficient night at the office. Houston’s upcoming three-game stretch to end this home-stand is a little more difficult than the Sacramento Kings team the Rockets just faced. The squad needs to be prepared to stay focused, and be determined to outlast their opponent’s intensity. 

The Rockets have now won three straight games, all at home, and they’ll look to add to that win streak when they host the Lakers on Wednesday night. Houston has four games remaining on this lengthy seven-game home-stand. The Rockets have taken advantage so far, as the squad is 3-1 at home, compared to winless 0-2 on the road. The Lakers are winless on the road as well, and will be hungry for their first road win. L.A. is coming off a one-point loss in Miami on Monday night. If Houston continues to play together and follow their coach’s lead, they’ll have a great shot to keep a road win out of L.A.’s grasp. Nevertheless, the effort the Rockets showed in dismantling the Kings over two games should boost this team’s confidence. Houston’s ready to welcome anyone to Toyota Center. Besides the heartbreaking loss to the Warriors in their home opener, the Rockets have protected home-court, and they’ll look to continue that on Wednesday night.

Rockets Rematch with Kings at Toyota Center

Deja Two.    Even Stevens.    Bringing the Fire.

The Rockets are coming off their most impressive win of the season, an 18-point victory over the Sacramento Kings. Houston will get another chance to earn an impressive win over these Kings on Monday night, as the two squads get set for a rematch. Sacramento is once again without star point guard De’Aaron Fox. Houston will need to capitalize on his absence like they did in their victory on Saturday night. It’s difficult to beat the same team twice in a row in the NBA, but the Rockets have a legitimate shot at taking down the Kings again on Monday night.

Despite Fox’s absence, expect Sacramento to play better and harder than they did in the first game. Houston will need to match the Kings’ intensity level if they want to take the second part of this two-game set. Expect Jalen Green to have a bounce-back game on Monday. Green scored on 10 points against Sacramento over the weekend. Love the Rockets young star to be more aggressive tonight.

Everything is in Houston’s favor for a Rockets victory on Monday night. They’re playing an undermanned, Fox-less Kings team once again. And once again, the Rockets have home-court advantage. Can the squad impress the fans and pull to .500 with a victory on Monday night? A win would put Houston’s record at 3-3. Both teams enter this game with records of 2-3, the loser will be two games under .500, the winner, even stevens. Hopefully the Rockets bring the energy tonight against a Kings team looking to bounce back. If Houston can match Sac-Town’s fire… the Rockets have a shot to win their third straight game on Monday night. 

 

Toyota Center:  Houston, Texas

 

Jersey Colors:

Sacramento Kings (2-3):  Black

Houston Rockets (2-3):  Red

 

Tip-Off:  7:00 PM CT

TV:  Space City Home Network,  NBA League Pass

Rockets Blast Past Kings, 107-89, for Second Straight Win

Back Ends.    Veteran Impact.    Back on the Boards.

For the first time this season, the Rockets won consecutive games, as they defeated the Kings, 107-89, on Saturday night. The Rockets built a big lead, which Sacramento erased early in the third quarter. However Houston managed to hold on, and Dillon Brooks put on a shooting display in the fourth quarter as the Rockets rolled to victory. Brooks led all scorers for Houston with 26 points, on an efficient 9-for-14 shooting. Fred VanVleet, and Jabari Smith Jr., who had his best game of the season, both contributed 21 points for the Rockets. Brooks and VanVleet’s veteran impact has been the strongest addition to Houston’s roster this season. Both players, especially Brooks, are off to fantastic starts in their careers as Rockets. Malik Monk led the Kings with 18 points off the bench. Sacramento was clearly sorely missing its leader in star point guard De’Aaron Fox. Houston took advantage of his absence to seal a Rockets victory.

Houston dominated the first and fourth quarters, despite scoring only 12 points in the third period. These back-ends allowed the Rockets to secure the win, along with their stellar defense. Despite the low scoring output, Houston only allowed the Kings to score 15 points in the third quarter. After being out-manned on the glass for several games, the Rockets worked on their rebounding in practice, and it showed on Saturday night. Houston out-rebounded Sacramento by 10, and were clearly more aggressive attacking the glass.

These two squads will square off in a rematch at Toyota Center on Monday night. It’s tough to beat the same team twice in a row, but the Rockets have shown improvement in each game this season. It remains to be seen if the Kings will still be minus De’Aaron Fox. Regardless, expect a closer matchup on Monday night as these two Western foes battle on the court once again.

Rockets Host Kings in First of Two-Part Showdown

Part 1.    Hometown Heroes.    A Chance.

“So you’re telling me their’s a chance!”, the famous quote from Dumb and Dumber comes to mind as the Rockets approach one of the dumbest parts of their schedule, consecutive games against the same opponent in the same building. It’s a dumb idea that began after Covid-19 changed the world. Anyways, Houston does have a chance tonight, despite playing the upstart Sacramento Kings. Their All-Star guard, De’Aaron Fox, is out for Saturday night’s matchup. Fox is Sacramento’s most clutch player, he was actually named the Clutch Player of the League in the NBA last season, the first recipient of the new award. He’s an essential part of the Kings’ core along with Domantas Sabonis. The Rockets, fresh off their first win of the season, have more than a chance tonight if they continue improving as they have been over these first four games.

Houston debuted their new City-Edition jerseys, which honor Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, earlier this week. The squad will wear the jerseys for the first time on  this upcoming Wednesday, when they host LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.  Despite tough competition, the next five games are all at home for the Rockets. Houston will look to be “Hometown Heroes” and upset some of their more talented and experienced upcoming opponents. They need to take advantage of Fox’s absence tonight, and pounce on a wounded Sacramento team. The Kings are 2-2 on the season. Ironically both losses have come at the hands of the team that ended their season last year, the Golden State Warriors. Sacramento is coming off a particular heartbreaking loss in their previous game, to Golden State, as Klay Thompson hit a buzzer-beater to knock off the Kings.

Coming off a tough loss, Sacramento will be hungry tonight. The Rockets need to exceed the Kings’ hunger, and protect home-court in the first of two straight against the the Kings. Domantas Sabonis will be the biggest threat for the Kings, and expect sharpshooter Keegan Murray to play well, as he has in his young career against Houston. If the Rockets can contain these two players from having monster games, they should win this matchup. The next five games are brutal for Houston, but minus De’Aaron Fox this evening gives the Rockets their best opportunity… and a real honest chance at a victory tonight.

 

Toyota Center:  Houston Texas

 

Jersey Colors:

Sacramento Kings (2-2):  White

Houston Rockets (1-3):  Black

 

Tip-Off:  7:00 PM CT

TV:  Space City Home Network,  NBA League Pass

Rockets Sting Hornets, 128-119, for Season’s First Win

First of Many.    A-Men Down.    Forward Thinking.

Outplayed. Out-hustled. Overmanned. For the first time this season, Houston outmanned their opponent, en route to a 128-199 victory on Wednesday night. The win is the first of what will hopefully be many for the Rockets this season. Every Houston starter scored ate least 17 points in a balanced attack as the Rockets led virtually from the opening tip. The Hornets threatened with a run late in the first half to cut the deficit, but Houston never wavered. The Rockets came out of halftime and re-built their big first half lead as this game was never truly as close as the final score indicates.

P.J. Washington led Charlotte with 23 points. Terry Rozier chipped in 21 points for the Hornets, who have now dropped three straight games after winning their opener against the Atlanta Hawks. Jalen Green led Houston with 23 points on an average 6-for-16 night from the floor. The veteran newcomers were outstanding for the Rockets against Charlotte. Fred VanVleet had his best game of the season, scoring 22 points and dishing out 11 assists. Dillon Brooks scored 20 points on 7-for-9 shooting, and recorded a career-high 5 steals in the win. Alperen Sengun continued his steady play registering 19 points, 7 boards, and 4 dimes on the evening. And Jabari Smith Jr. had his best game of the young season, scoring 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting, to go along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Houston finally got that monkey off their back after recording their first victory of the season. The Rockets now hope to keep the winning ways rolling as their next games are at Toyota Center as the home-stand continues.

On a negative note, Amen Thompson went down with a Grade-2 Ankle Sprain in the first half and is expected to miss at least several weeks. It’s unfortunate for the rookie, who was starting to improve with each contest after a shaky start in his first couple of games. Hopefully Thompson will be back sooner than expected and can rejoin his teammates to help the Rockets garner more victories. Looking forward, Houston hosts the Sacramento Kings on Saturday and Monday night at Toyota Center. It’s an odd stretch in the schedule, and the Kings are a good team, but they’ll be without their All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox for at least Saturday night. If the Rockets can outplay and out-hustle the Kings in their next game, Houston has a legitimate chance to get their second consecutive win.

Rockets Eagerly Seeking First Win, Host Hornets

Must-Win?    Difficult Stretch.    Needed Urgency.

The Houston Rockets play part two of their seven-game home-stand on Wednesday night, as they host the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets had one of the worst records in the league last year, and are inexperienced like Houston. A victory still won’t be easy, as Charlotte has some young talent in LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, and Brandon Miller, the second overall pick in this past summer’s draft. Miller scored 22 points in the Hornets last game, and this young core is not to be overlooked. Charlotte dealt with injuries last season, so far they’ve been fairly healthy to start this season. The Hornets are 1-2 this season, and are coming off a pair of losses after an opening night win over the Atlanta Hawks. This is the Rockets best chance to get a victory for a while, as Houston’s upcoming schedule is absolutely brutal.

Of the Rockets upcoming 20 games, 18 are against teams that made the playoffs last season. After tonight’s game against Charlotte, this is by far the toughest portion of the season, schedule-wise for Houston. Hopefully, these young Rockets play with a sense of urgency, and realize how essential winning tonight’s contest is for the big picture of this season.

Alperen Sengun has been the Houston’s best player through the first three games of the season. Jalen Green is improving after a dreadful opening night performance. Amen Thompson is slowly adjusting to the NBA game as a rookie. The Rockets’ new veterans are still gelling and working on chemistry with the squad. Maybe that chemistry will finally result in a victory for Houston, as they battle a very beatable Charlotte team on Wednesday night.

 

Toyota Center:  Houston, Texas

 

Jersey Colors:

Charlotte Hornets (1-2):  White

Houston Rockets (0-3):  Red

 

Tip-Off:  7:00 PM CT

TV:  Space City Home Network,  NBA League Pass

Splashed Down: Curry’s Late 3-Point Barrage Spoils Houston’s Chances, Rockets Fall to Warriors, 106-95

Green Light.    High Leverage.    Upcoming Storm.

Houston returned home for the first game of the season at Toyota Center, eagerly seeking their first win as they hosted Golden State on Sunday night. The Rockets plans for victory were spoiled by Stephen Curry and the Warriors, who pulled away late in the fourth quarter, en route to dealing Houston a 106-95 loss. Curry scored 24 points, and Klay Thompson added 19, to lead the Golden State’s shooting barrage. Jalen Green had a second consecutive solid outing, scoring 21 points on 8-for-20 shooting, while grabbing 9 renbounds. Green clearly has the “green light” to be as aggressive as possible this season. He’s improving, but still needs to up his aggression level in the coming games. Alperen Sengun continues to be Houston’s best player to start the season. Sengun finished with 19 points, 5 boards, and 7 assists on the night. Jabari Smith Jr. scored 14 points and grabbed 8 boards in his best showing of the the year so far. Fred VanVleet struggled mightily with his shot, connecting on only 2 of his 13 shot attempts for 8 points.

The defeat is Houston’s third consecutive loss to start the season. Despite coming out on the losing end, the Rockets fought hard to the end with a tough, veteran Warriors’ squad. During the Stephen Silas era, this team would’ve folded and settled for a blowout on a night like Sunday. This Houston squad is more resilient, despite remaining winless, than last season. In high leverage games like this last season, the Rockets usually got blown out. This season, Houston has shown flashes of their overall potential as a unit. However, the squad has one of the toughest schedules to start the season in the entire league. If they can manage to weather this upcoming storm, and not lose too many games, Houston can be proud of their start despite their record. 

The Rockets now will have two days off before hosting the Charlotte Hornets in the second leg of this seven-game home-stand. After that, the schedule gets incredibly difficult, as Houston faces mostly teams that made the playoffs last season over the next month. The squad needs to be prepared to swat an inexperienced Hornets club out of the building, otherwise the Rockets could be in danger of facing a lengthy losing streak to start the year.

Rockets Return to H-Town, Host Warriors in Home Opener

Homecoming.    Fading Away.    Motivated Focus.

After two tough losses to begin the season, the Rockets return to Toyota Center to host the Golden State Warriors in their home opener on Sunday night. Houston is looking for their first win in this young season, and faces their toughest test so face in an experienced Golden State team that has Championship-mettle at its core. The Warriors may not be the superteam they were at the height of their dynasty, but they’re still a better squad than most NBA teams. And Stephen Curry is still one of the league’s best players. Curry is coming off a 41-point night in the Warriors previous game, a road win over the Kings to give them their first victory of the season. Besides Curry, his Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, seems to have some his best games against Houston. Thompson isn’t producing at the level he was before his injury a few years ago, but Klay can still put up 30 or 40 points on any given night. The Warriors also have a new piece that may be familiar to Rockets fans. Former Houston point guard, and NBA veteran Chris Paul, joined Golden State in the offseason. Houston’s facing an experienced trio on the perimeter tonight. The Rockets will need to focus on their free throw shooting, rebounding, and controlling turnovers, if they want to pull the upset on the Warriors in their home opener.

Toyota Center should be rocking on Sunday night, as Houston plays the first of what will be a seven-game home stand. Houston wants to avoid fading away, and falling to 0-3 in the standings with a loss tonight. Missed free throws really damaged the Rockets chances at victory in their previous loss, a tightly contested contest in San Antonio. Hopefully the home crowd motivates the squad to focus better on their free throws, and overall execution.

Rockets vs. Warriors ins’t the rivalry it was when James Harden was at his peak in Houston, but tonight’s contest should still be tightly contested. Expect the Rockets to come out hungry for their first victory. Golden State may overlook this Houston team, as they travel to face Zion Williamson and the undefeated New Orleans Pelicans tomorrow night in the Big Easy. The Rockets have a decent chance to secure their first win of the Ime Udoka era, as long as they don’t beat themselves. This means keeping missed free throws and turnovers to a minimum. If the squad can do that, and shoot the ball with the efficiency they showed in San Antonio, Houston should be able to win their home opener. Regardless of the outcome, expect an entertaining contest, as the Rockets face a fading, but still star-studded, Warriors squad tonight.

 

Toyota Center:  Houston, Texas

 

Jersey Colors:

Golden State Warriors (1-1):  Blue

Houston Rockets (0-2):  Red

 

Tip-Off:  6:00 PM CT

TV:  Space City Home Network,  NBA League Pass

Rockets Falter Late, Lose to Spurs, 126-122, in OT

Heartbreak Hotel.    Opposite Ends.    Progression.

In their second game of the season, the Rockets showed improvement, but ultimately fell to the Spurs, 126-122, in an overtime thriller. Turnovers and missed free throws killed Houston’s chances late in the contest, as Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs took advantage in overtime and seized their first win of the season. Wemby had the best game of his young career. The rookie phenom scored 21 points, grabbed 12 boards, 3 steals, and swatted 3 shots on the evening. It’s only a two-game sample size, but Wemby looks like the real deal, and could possibly exceed his unforeseen hype. The Rockets had possession with a chance to score on the final play, but lack of execution resulted in extra time with the score tied at 111. When OT began, San Antonio pounced on Houston, and never gave up the lead en route to dealing the Rockets their second straight loss to start the season.

Despite the loss, Houston played much better, individually and collectively, compared to their opening night performance in Orlando. The Rockets led for most of this contest, and had a 7-point edge entering the final period. Houston’s still developing their chemistry, as was evidenced in the final period and overtime. The missed free throws really hurt the Rockets late in the game. Houston shot an abysmal 10-for-20 from the foul line, good for 50%, which in the NBA, is terrible. The squad desperately needs to work on their foul shooting in practice. Better free throw shooting could’ve potentially prevented OT, and resulted in a W for Houston.

The Rockets have now experienced both ends of the losing spectrum. They suffered a nail biting loss in their most recent contest in the Alamo City, and a blowout loss in their opening night game in Orlando. At least Houston showed vast improvement after their torrid first showing. Jalen Green shot the ball much more efficiently, and was aggressive to start the contest. Green finished with 22 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the field, while adding 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Alperen Sengun continues to be the Rockets’ best player to start this young season. Sengun finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and a block for the night. Sengun continues to dazzle, as he’s playing at an All-Star level to begin his third career season. Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks both had their best games as new Rockets. VanVleet was exceptional, scoring 24 points on 50% shooting, while contributing 12 assists, and 8 boards for Houston. Brooks finished with 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting against the Spurs. Jabari Smith Jr. continues to struggle finding his shot, but nonetheless had a better game than in the opener. Smith Jr. recorded 13 points and 9 rebounds on the evening. And Jeff Green has quietly been excellent in his veteran role as a reserve off the bench. Green finished with 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting, in 21 minutes.

Houston showed progression in their second game, but will need to be better defensively and from the foul line if they want to avoid losses light the Heartbreak Hotel in San Antonio on Friday night. Luckily for the Rockets, up next, they return home for a 7-game home-stand, starting with their home opener on Sunday night against the Golden State Warriors. Hopefully a change of scenery and the friendly confines of Toyota Center will finally push the Rockets towards victory for the first time this season.   Houston will face their toughest test, in an experienced Golden State team, and needs to avoid going 0-3… or the Rockets will find themselves in a possibly inescapable hole to start the season.

Rockets Renew Rivalry, Face-Off Against Spurs

Second Helping.    First Taste.    Up.

Tonight, the NBA World gets a second serving of rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama, as the Rockets visit his Spurs for the first time this season. Houston is coming off an embarrassing blowout loss in Orlando to the Magic in their opener. In their first game, San Antonio narrowly lost to the Dallas Mavericks at home, as Wembanyama scored 15 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in his highly-anticipated debut. As the Rockets get their first taste of facing the young phenom, Houston is looking to improve off a disastrous first game of the season. The first game of the Ime Udoka era didn’t go as planned for the Rockets, as they were blown away by a young, hungry Magic team. 

Expect Jalen Green to have a more aggressive mindset entering tonight’s matchup. Green shot only 10 field goals, making just 2, as he struggled in the opener. Look for the Rockets young guard to bounce back on Friday night. Houston should play better with each game as the chemistry improves and they familiarize themselves with Ime Udoka’s system. Tonight, other than Wembanyama, the Spurs have a versatile young attacking core of players. San Antonio had 7 players score in double-figures in their first game. Guard Devin Vassell led the way for the Spurs with 23 points, and he’s someone the Rockets need to contain if they want any chance of victory tonight. Keldon Johnson, Zach Collins, Jeremy Sochan, and Tre Jones can also be threats offensively for the Spurs.

The good news for Houston is, after their first game, the only direction this team can head is up. San Antonio should prove to be tough matchup, and the crowd should to be more electric than Orlando’s. However, the Rockets can still win tonight if they focus on minimizing turnovers, and showing a more desired emphasis on rebounding the basketball. Houston got outmanned on the glass by the Magic in their opener, losing the rebounding battle, 56 to 31, on the boards. Regardless, don’t expect the Rockets to get blown out by 30 points tonight.

Ime Udoka is too disciplined of a coach to witness back-to-back blowouts to start his Rockets career. If Jalen Green can display more efficiency, and the Rockets do a better job rebounding as a team, they have a decent chance to split this early two-game road-trip. After tonight, the Rockets head back to Houston for their home opener on Sunday night against the Golden State Warriors, That matchup will tougher than tonight’s or Houston’s first game. If the Rockets want to avoid a potential 0-3 start to the season, they need to buckle down and focus on controlling the basketball, limiting their turnovers tonight. Their best chance to avoid starting the season in a hole is by getting a victory tonight, as they battle their in-state rival Spurs in the second game of this young season.

 

Frost Bank Center: San Antonio, Texas

 

Jersey Colors:

Houston Rockets (0-1):  White

San Antonio Spurs (0-1):  Black

 

Tip-Off:  7:00 PM CT

TV:  Space City Home Network,  NBA League Pass