Rockets Overwhelmed in 113-95 Loss to Cavs
Outmanned. Defensive Drawing Board. Transition Problems.
From the opening tip, the Houston Rockets were outplayed on Thursday night. The Rockets trailed by as many as 32 points, eventually falling to the Cavaliers, 113-95, at Toyota Center. This was Houston’s third game in four nights (all home games). The team is too young to have an excuse for tired legs, but the squad has been without starting point guard Kevin Porter Jr. for a few games now, and his absence is notably affecting the team’s performance. Tari Eason led the Rockets with 18 points off the bench, as he continues to play well since Mario Elie encouraged him on the air after a game a few weeks ago. Jalen Green scored only 6 points in a discouraging performance. KJ Martin and Alperen Sengun scored 14 points apiece, but no one on Houston really had an outstanding game.
Minus Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland led the Cavs with 26 points and 9 assists. Evan Mobley had a stellar game as well, finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Cleveland was simply too big for Houston in the pain. Mobley and Jarrett Allen dominated the paint for the Cavs as they cruised to victory over the Rockets.
Houston needs to go back to the defensive drawing board. They didn’t have the best night offensively, but their defense is rarely acceptable. And they gave up more than 110 points once again tonight, a trend that is too common this season in Houston. The squad also needs to really clean up their transitional play. Poor defense and turnovers are leading to the Rockets getting killed in transition almost on a nightly basis. Up next, Houston travels to the Motor City to battle the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night. Detroit has the worst record in the East, so the Rockets should have a better chance than usual to steal a road win this weekend.