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.