Rockets Bow to Kings, 135-115, to Close out Season’s First Half
Halfway Home. Insult to Injury. 3 for 4.
In Sacramento, Houston led after three quarters but let another game slip away, las they lost to the Kings, 135-115, on Wednesday night. Houston actually started the game on an 8-0 run, and remained competitive throughout three quarters, even managing to secure an edge before the fourth quarter. The Rockets led 95-94 heading into the final period, but ran out of gas once again as the wheels fell off to close the game. Sacramento outscored Houston 41-20 in the fourth quarter, as the Rockets had no answers for Domantas Sabonis or De’Aaron Fox. Sabonis garnered his 18th consecutive double-double, registering 25 points and 14 boards to go along with 9 assists. Sabonis leads the NBA in double-doubles this season, and was a force to reckon with all night for Houston. Fox added 24 points and some crucial late offense as the Kings overpowered the Rockets late in Sac-Town.
Jalen Green led Houston with 26 points, but struggled with his shot, going 9-for-25 from the floor. Alperen Sengun had the first triple-double of his career, registering a triple-10 with 10 points, rebounds, and assists apiece. Eric Gordon chipped in 19 points, and KJ Martin continues to be the Sixth Man for the Rockets, as he scored 21 points, on another efficient shooting night. Martin entered the game with dunks on three consecutive Houston possessions, and scored 9 first quarter points to lead all players. Martin is having a breakout season in his own right, and will have an opportunity to display more of his extreme talent and athleticism at the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest over All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah. Expect KJ to be a sleeper pick to win the Dunk Contest. It’ll give Martin a wider audience than usual, as Rocket games are basically never nationally televised this season. Look at Houston’s collapse on Wednesday nights and their overall record (10-31), for examples why they’re almost never on national TV this year.
Houston has struggled mightily, whether it’s starting or ending the game, to put four quarters together. They need to translate the hard effort they put into three quarters into four quarters, or this Rockets team is going to suffer more collapses in the second half than anticipated. The squad needs to focus on not taking their foot off the gas. Once Houston has the lead, they get too complacent. And if they have a bad start, they’ll often make a valiant comeback effort, but it’s usually too little too late. The Rockets need to realize the value of all four quarters, they can’t settle for three great quarters. Houston needs to play hard the entirety of an NBA basketball game. An element sorely lacking in the Rockets’ mantra at the moment.
To add insult to injury, the Rockets lost Kevin Porter Jr. to an injury late in the first quarter. The severity of the injury isn’t known at this point, but Scoot reportedly suffered a left knee contusion, and could miss several games. Expect Martin to be the primary beneficiary of those extra minutes if KPJ does indeed miss extended time. Hopefully, Scoot can return to the court soon, as KPJ has been Houston’s most consistent player over the first half of this season. Regardless, it will give Martin at least more chances to show the NBA world why he’s one of the best young role players in the league.
The Rockets are now officially halfway through their season. Houston boasts a 10-31 record at the midway point, good for the worst record in the entire league. The squad is aiming for a more consistent second-half of the season, that hopefully will show improvement over what was a miserable first half. The squad begins the second half of the season facing these same Kings one more time in Sacramento on Friday night. It’s hard to beat the same team twice in the NBA… can the Rockets prove that statement’s merit this weekend? Tune in on Friday night, as Houston begins the second half of the season.