Buzz Kill: Rockets Collapse Late in Charlotte, as Hornets Sting Rockets, 119-94
Disappearing Final Act. Rotational Issues. No Wall=More Ball.
Vanished. From thin air it seemed. The tightly contested matchup between the Rockets and Hornets on Monday night. Houston stood almost toe-to-toe with Charlotte for three quarters, trailing by only three points entering the fourth quarter. But without John Wall and Eric Gordon, Victor Oladipo was nowhere to be found in final frame, as he seemed out of sync, and the Rockets scored a franchise-record low seven points in the fourth, as the Hornets blew out Houston, 119-94, turning a competitive game into an embarrassing one for the Rockets. LaMelo Ball had one of his best games of the season for the Hornets. Charlotte’s hyped rookie scored 24 points, and dished 10 dimes while grabbing 7 boards to lead the Hornets over a sub-par undermanned Rockets team. Despite being within distance, Charlotte held firm control for the majority of the game. And Houston now finds themselves back below .500, and with another game tomorrow night, against a surging New Orleans Pelicans team.
On Monday night, the Rockets had rotational issues. With so many key players (John Wall, Eric Gordon, Christian Wood) out for Houston, there was no doubt coach Stephen Silas would experiment with some of his decisions. But, I have to admit, I disagree with some of the choices he made in Charlotte. Mason Jones, who’s shown to play at an All-Star caliber level, scored 6 points, and nailed 2 of his 5 threes, but only played 15 minutes. Ben McLemore, who scored 13 of his 15 points during a stellar first half, shot the the ball only twice in the second half. After trailing by five points after the first period, the Rockets chipped into the lead, getting within four by the half. And three by the third. But by that time, this undermanned Houston squad had nothing left in the tank against an inspired Hornets squad.
And so John Wall doesn’t play, and the Rockets lose once more. Not surprising. Wall certainly would’ve slowed down LaMelo on Monday night, but they’ll be counting on him tomorrow in New Orleans to pull Houston back even in the win-loss column. At 11-12, the Rockets need to to start moving up, or in a jam-packed Western Conference, they could be in jeopardy of missing the playoffs. I get it… Wall, Oladipo, and Cousins are all coming off big injuries. And unfortunately Wood’s fell victim to the injury bug as well, but If Houston keeps resting players, they’re never going to separate themselves from the pack, let alone even join in and make the playoffs. The Rockets are blocking themselves from establishing an identity and building chemistry, making it difficult to get a feel for this team’s potential. If Wall and Oladipo keep resting every other game, and with Wood’s uncertain future, this team will never be able to gel own the court and develop some much-needed chemistry. Wood will return, and hopefully we’ve seen the last of his injury issues this season. But if Wall and Oladipo don’t buy all-in, and play every game, the Rockets are in trouble. That’s what I really miss about James Harden. The Beard never took a night off. And now one of Houston’s top two playmakers seems to be out every other night. If the Rockets can’t start figuring out their rotational issues, and which players deserve playing time in respective situations… Houston’s playoff hopes could be on the verge of vanishing.