Rockets Collapse Late, Fall to Mavericks, 111-106
Tale of Two Halves. Home Woes. Clueless in the Clutch.
Houston put on one of their better first half showings of the season on Monday night. However, it didn’t matter in the end, as the Rockets collapsed late in their latest setback, a 111-106 loss to the Mavericks. Luka Doncic started out slow, but finished with 39 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists, including some key baskets late that fueled Dallas’ comeback. Kevin Porter Jr. led Houston with 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 dimes, even as he continues to get roasted by many local fans, Scoot is merely playing to his own consistent beat, one of the few Rocket players who’s truly been consistent this season.
The frustratingly inconsistent Jalen Green scored 20 points. Eric Gordon added 19 in the scoring column, and Alperen Sengun registered 16 points and grabbed 6 boards. After outscoring the Mavs by 11 points in the first half, Houston couldn’t buy a basket in second half. The Rockets mustered only 19 fourth quarter points, as Dallas came back to deal Houston their sixth straight home loss. After winning five straight at home, Houston can’t seem to put four quarters together at Toyota Center.
Despite coming up short, the Rockets at least made this game competitive for the majority of the night. Houston now faces a back-to-back where they’ll travel to New Orleans to face the Pelicans before returning home to host the Utah Jazz. Despite their win last Monday in Chicago, Houston is in the midst of a funk they can’t snap out of. Maybe a trip to the Big Easy will inspire this Rockets team to change their tune on the court.