Rockets Survive Comeback, Silence Jazz, 127-126, in OT
Free Dessert. Whitmore’s Emergence. Halfway Home.
For the first time all season, the Rockets emerged victorious in an overtime game, as they silenced the Jazz, 127-126, in extra time on Saturday night. During the broadcast, Houston announcer Craig Ackerman mentioned that overtime is like “going out to dinner and getting your dessert for free. Well, the Rockets finally capitalized on their free dessert, winning their first overtime game in four tries this season. The win snaps Houston’s three-game losing streak. The Rockets seemed in control in the first half, leading by as many as 17 points. However, Utah stormed back to almost deal Houston another heartbreaking defeat. Alperen Sengun led way for the Rockets once again. Sengun scored a career-high 37 points, grabbed 14 boards, and dished out 6 assists, in a performance that perfectly exhibited why Al-P deserves an All-Star nod this season. Jabari Smith Jr. also had a huge performance for Houston, scoring 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He also held Utah’s leading scorer Lauri Markannen, to a below-average 22 points. Unfortunately, Jabari suffered an ankle sprain late in the game and limped off the court. The sophomore stud’s status for tomorrow’s game should be considered questionable at best. Jordan Clarkson led the Jazz with 33 points off their bench. Clarkson and Collin Sexton, who scored 28 points, led Utah’s comeback charge that ultimately fell short. Despite trailing at the start of overtime, the Rockets closed the game on an 8-3 run to snag the victory. Amen Thompson had arguably the defensive play of the season, as he blocked a Collin Sexton layup that would’ve given the Jazz the lead late in overtime. That play swung the momentum back in Houston’s favor, in what was an exciting game in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Coming off a game where he played only 9 minutes, Cam Whitmore saw 26 minutes of action, almost as much as Jalen Green (28 minutes). Whitmore was outstanding, scoring 17 points, including 4-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Green meanwhile, had another disappointing performance. Green scored only 7 points on a dismal 3-for-12 shooting night. The third year guard continues to struggle to find consistent and efficient rhythm to his game. Whitmore is emerging as candidate to replace Green in the starting unit if Jalen can’t get his act together. It’s likely a move that wouldn’t happen until next season or later on, but if both players keep trending in their respective directions, it’s only inevitable that Cam will soon be playing more minutes than Jalen. Even as a rookie, Whitmore is already clearly a better defender than Green, and his offense will be polished as the season moves on. With two and half seasons under his belt, Green needs to start showing improvement. Ime Udoka has already shown he won’t have a Stephen Silas style of patience for Green’s negligence on the court.
The Rockets are now officially halfway through the season after Saturday night’s thrilling victory. Houston (20-21) also inched closer to Utah (22-22) in the standings with the win in their return home. The squad won’t have to wait long for a chance at another win, as they host the Boston Celtics tomorrow night. For the second time this season, the Rockets will be playing the Celtics on the second part of a back-to-back, and facing a Boston team that is once again coming off a loss. Houston coach Ime Udoka will get a second shot to beat his former team on Sunday night. It will be incredibly difficult, but anything’s possible in this league… including free dessert.