Rockets Dealt Another L.A. Stinger in 105-104 Loss to Lakers
Heartbreak City. Closing Lessons. Unbridled Hope.
It’s hard to imagine the Rockets enduring a more heartbreaking loss than their previous game against the Clippers. However, Sunday night brought Houston just that: another tough loss in the final seconds, 105-104, to L.A.’s other team, the Lakers. Tied at 100 once again in the game’s last minute, this time it was an Austin Reaves three-pointer that capped this loss for the Rockets. Alperen Sengun managed to tie the game at 104 apiece with 4 seconds remaining, but Dillon Brooks committed a silly foul as he went for a steal on LeBron James, leading James to make the winning free throw, and put the Lakers ahead for good. Otherwise Brooks had arguably his best game of the season. Besides that final possession, Brooks was once again brilliant on defense, and he scored a season-high 24 points, including going 6-for-11 from beyond the arc.
Fred VanVleet continues to be tremendous. FVV had a season-high 16 assists to go along with 15 points and some more big shots. The ball needs to be in VanVleet’s hand when games are close in crunch time. FVV is a veteran with championship experience and has shown he knows how to make the right decision. Houston didn’t provide him with enough opportunities to control the tempo in the closing moments of both L.A. losses. Hopefully the squad learns from these heartbreaking losses. Look for their late-game execution to improve as the season moves on. Alperen Sengun had another All-Star caliber performance, including the game tying bucket as he backed down LeBron James one-on-one near the end of the game. He also took the charge that fouled out Anthony Davis late in the fourth quarter. Sengun scored 23 points, grabbed 10 boards, and dished out 5 assists on the night. Jalen Green had a subpar performance with only 9 points on 3-for-10 shooting from the field. LeBron James, who entered this contest with a “questionable” tag, ended top scoring a season-high 37 points, and the Lakers need every single one of them to beat Houston.
Houston’s now suffered heartbreak in back-to-back nail-biting losses. The officiating wasn’t great, but it hardly ever is, so they can’t blame the zebras for their recent losses. The Rockets need to focus on better execution down the stretch. When the squad builds a lead, they need to change their pace of play, especially near the end of games, of Houston could become the victim of many comeback losses. It’s still early in the season, and the Rockets have a lot of learning to do, but they are way ahead of schedule. No one expected them to be contending for playoff spot after starting 0-3. After that opening night dud in Orlando, Houston has fought hard to the end in every single game. And while close losses hurt, it gives the squad, the city, and the fans some unbridled hope. The Rockets are good again. Despite riding a two-game losing streak, this team has shown it’s for real. Houston battled a team in the Clippers, with four future Hall-of-Famers, down to the wire. They forced the face of the league, in LeBron James, to drop a season-high 37 points on night he wasn’t even sure if he was able to play. And they lost both games on essentially two tough late three-pointers (courtesy of James Harden, and Austin Reaves). This Rockets team is for real. With a little time, these tough, heartbreaking losses will soon evolve into clutch, close wins for Houston.