Third Quarter Dooms Rockets in 133-113 Loss to Sixers
Positive Reinforcements. Unstoppable Force. Bird Returns.
Houston actually held the halftime lead on Monday night in Philly, but they couldn’t stop Joell Embiid, who had his third career triple-double. Embiid’s 31 points, 15 boards, and 10 assists were too much for the short-handed Rockets, as Houston lost 133-113, for their eighth straight loss. The Rockets had positive reinforcements in the absences of Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr. Houston had seven players score in double-figures, led by the return of Garrison Matthews, who tied his career-high with 23 points, going 6-for-10 from the field.
Garry Bird’s return was the brightest sign for the Rockets on Monday night. A dismal third quarter unraveled what was a close, contested contest. The Sixers led 72-71, before going on a 10-0 run that broke the game open. Houston would never get close to threatening Philly’s lead for the remainder of the contest.
Without Christian Wood and Alperen Sengun, Embiid dominated a short-handed Rockets team. Daniel Theis did his best, but Embiid showed why he’s arguably the best big-man in basketball on Monday night. Jalen Green came back to earth with a sub-par game. Green had been on fire, but went cold in Philly, shooting 3-for-12 from the floor for 12 points. Barring any more outbursts, Houston will get Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr. back for their next game, Wednesday in Washington D.C. against the Wizards.
The Rockets will look for Jalen Green to have a bounce-back performance against the Wiz, and it will be very interesting to monitor the body language of Wood and KPJ upon their return to the court. Will they be interested in playing? Is Wood destined to be traded? Is KPJ a lost cause? Or can Houston solve these problems throughout the season? We’ll begin to find out on Wednesday night.