Rockets Unravel in Second Half, Fall to Kings, 139-114
Tale of Two Halves. Early Deja Vu. Mounting Frustrations.
Houston fought hard in the first half on Friday night, but the Rockets lost their ninth straight game overall, and second in a row to Kings, 139-114, in Sacramento. This game was truly a tale of two halves. The Rockets were outscored by only 3 points, 69-66, in the first half. However, in the second half Sacramento dominated Houston, outscoring them by 22 points en route to a blowout victory. Harrison Barnes was on fire from beyond the arc, leading the Kings in scoring with 27 points. De’Aaron Fox had 24 points just as he did on Wednesday, and Domantas Sabonis had a triple-double for Sacramento, registering 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 16 assists. Houston was led by Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. in scoring, both players scored 27 points on the night. Just his team’s performance, Green had a the best half of his career over the first two quarters, with 25 of his 27 coming in the first 24 minutes. He only managed 2 points in the second half, as the Rockets were dominated coming out of halftime.
Jabari Smith Jr.’s 27 points are a career-high for Houston’s promising rookie, who also secured 8 boards and 3 blocks, in one of the best games of his early career. Smith Jr. shot over 50%, 11-for-20 from the field on Friday, although he went only 2-for-7 from three-point range. Alperen Sengun registered 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 dimes. No other Rockets player reached double-figures, as Houston was overpowered in the second half. In the first matchup between these teams in Sacramento on Wednesday, the Rockets managed to stay with the Kings, until Sacramento pulled away in the fourth quarter. On Friday night, Houston experienced an earlier version of that deja vu, hanging with the Kings for the first half, before Sacramento punished the Rockets in the second half, turning the game into another blowout.
The loss is Houston’s ninth in a row, and the Rockets are 1-14 in their last 15 games overall. Frustrations are really starting to mount for this young team. Maybe it was seeing the Kings twice in three days, but Garrison Mathews and Malik Monk got into a scuffle that involved both players being ejected from the game. Garry Bird gave Monk an average NBA-shove, which apparently irritated Monk, who then immaturely poked the ball away from Mathews when play was stopped, which initiated the altercation. Houston will now head to Los Angeles for a back-to-back on Sunday and Monday against the Clippers and Lakers respectively. If the Rockets want to avoid reaching a double-digit skid, Houston will need to be ready earlier than usual on Sunday for an early afternoon matinee matchup against the Clippers.