Rockets Come Up Short Against Knicks, 116-103
Opportunity Baskets. Wise Theis. Missing Wood.
The Rockets, in the midst of playing eight out of nine games on the road, made a pit stop in Houston on Thursday night to face the New York Knicks. And for a while, it seemed like a return to the friendly confines of home was all the Rockets needed. After trailing 39-30 after the first period, Houston slowly chipped into the deficit to make it a two-point contest entering the final quarter. Unfortunately, the Rockets were gassed, as New York outscored Houston 32-21 in the fourth period, en route to a 116-103 victory over the Rockets. Evan Fournier caught fire late for the Knicks, scoring 23 points. Immanuel Quickley led New York with 24 points and Julius Randle added 21. For Houston, Daniel Theis started in place of Christian Wood, who missed his second straight game. Theis has the rare role of either starting a game, or not playing at all. Theis had one of his better games of the season, posting 22 points and 10 boards. Jae’Sean Tate added 20, and Garrison Matthews scored 17 points.
Houston lacked the energy to secure opportunity baskets on Thursday. Finding transitional buckets off of rebounds was non-existent for the Rockets. This match was Houston’s fifth game in seven days, and tired legs were evident across the Rockets’ short-handed roster. Houston played hard, but were simply too undermanned to pull out the home victory. KJ Martin and Josh Christopher combined for 29 points, but they were the only bright spots for Houston’s reserves. The rest of the Rockets’ bench only managed to score a collective seven points.
Houston heads back out on the road for the next five games, starting with a matinee matchup in Detroit on Saturday afternoon. It looks like we won’t get Jalen Green vs. Cade Cunningham Part 2, but hopefully Christian Wood will be back. The Pistons are a physical team and the Rockets will need their big bruiser if they want to get back on the winning track as they hit the road again.