Rockets Blast Past Kings, 107-89, for Second Straight Win
Back Ends. Veteran Impact. Back on the Boards.
For the first time this season, the Rockets won consecutive games, as they defeated the Kings, 107-89, on Saturday night. The Rockets built a big lead, which Sacramento erased early in the third quarter. However Houston managed to hold on, and Dillon Brooks put on a shooting display in the fourth quarter as the Rockets rolled to victory. Brooks led all scorers for Houston with 26 points, on an efficient 9-for-14 shooting. Fred VanVleet, and Jabari Smith Jr., who had his best game of the season, both contributed 21 points for the Rockets. Brooks and VanVleet’s veteran impact has been the strongest addition to Houston’s roster this season. Both players, especially Brooks, are off to fantastic starts in their careers as Rockets. Malik Monk led the Kings with 18 points off the bench. Sacramento was clearly sorely missing its leader in star point guard De’Aaron Fox. Houston took advantage of his absence to seal a Rockets victory.
Houston dominated the first and fourth quarters, despite scoring only 12 points in the third period. These back-ends allowed the Rockets to secure the win, along with their stellar defense. Despite the low scoring output, Houston only allowed the Kings to score 15 points in the third quarter. After being out-manned on the glass for several games, the Rockets worked on their rebounding in practice, and it showed on Saturday night. Houston out-rebounded Sacramento by 10, and were clearly more aggressive attacking the glass.
These two squads will square off in a rematch at Toyota Center on Monday night. It’s tough to beat the same team twice in a row, but the Rockets have shown improvement in each game this season. It remains to be seen if the Kings will still be minus De’Aaron Fox. Regardless, expect a closer matchup on Monday night as these two Western foes battle on the court once again.