Rockets Fail to Launch in Ugly 95-85 Loss to Lakers
Scoring Struggle. Play KJ. Nothing Close.
In a contest that was spookily sloppy, Halloween brought the Rockets no treats on Sunday night, as Houston lost to the Lakers, 95-85, in an ugly affair for both squads. Despite the Houston’s poor play, Los Angeles didn’t play like world beaters either. Both teams were sloppy from the start, but two areas of really buried the Rockets on Halloween: turnovers and missed free throws. Houston had a terrifying 25 turnovers, a recipe only for disaster. And the Rockets missed 14 free throws, in a game they lost by 10 points. If the squad could’ve been more efficient in those areas, Houston would’ve scared another loss into the Lakers’ early season. The Rockets will look to clean up their mistakes in round 2 against L.A. on Tuesday. Eric Gordon scored 17 points to pace Houston, and Christian Wood added another double-double with 16 points and 13 boards. Jalen Green’s shooting struggles continued. Houston’s savory draft pick scored only 7 points, but had 5 rebounds and assists apiece. Green will improve as the season moves along. Maybe it was his first game in Staples Center. The bright lights of Hollywood played a role in the Rockets’ sloppy play. Houston won’t be as starstruck on Tuesday night.
However, if Houston learned anything from their Halloween loss, it’s that K.J. Martin needs more minutes. KJ deserves to be a part of the rotation. Dating back to last season, Martin has looked great in his brief playing time. One of the most athletic players in the NBA, and one of the few guards who can say he’s blocked the league’s top centers. On Sunday, the Rockets trailed by as many as 28 points. Carmelo Anthony led the Lakers with a vintage 23-point performance. Nonetheless, Houston started to clean their act up in the fourth quarter, and closed the game on a 29-11 run. K.J. Martin was a crucial part of the Rockets comeback attempt. KJ scored all 12 of his points in the final period, and also grabbed 4 boards. His athleticism is a factor this young Houston team can use to their advantage, on both sides of the floor. Hopefully, Coach Stephen Silas realizes this, and grants Martin more minutes in the future.
So far, six games into the season, the Rockets have yet to play in a game decided by less than double-figures. Even in their lone win, Houston blew out the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Rockets will try and play in their first game of the season on Tuesday night as they battle the Lakers once again in Staples Center. This time the bright lights shouldn’t make Houston’s players as much in awe as they were on Halloween. Staples Center certainly has its own aura and vibe, like a majestical place, similar to the historical Madison Square Garden. And playing for the first time in an arena such as this, certainly can factor into a player’s poor performance. 25 turnovers and 14 missed free throws will be tough to top in consecutive games. So, the chances are in Houston’s favor that they’ll play better on Tuesday. The question is, will it be good enough? As the Lakers failed to score 100 points, rare in today’s NBA. Both teams will play better on in the rematch, the Rockets will have to get a lead from the start if they want to leave L.A. with some Tuesday night treats.