Too Much Luka, as Rockets Lose to Mavs 116-106
Deja Vu. Tale of Two Halves. Keep Climbing.
In a game that was eerily similar to the one Houston played on Sunday night against Boston, the Rockets lost to the Mavericks, 116-106, on Tuesday night. Houston actually played one of their best halves of the season in the first half of Dallas’ home opener. The squad took a three-point lead into the break, but came out flat. The Mavs started the second half on a 13-0 run, after which point the Rockets never saw the lead again. Luka Doncic was dominant as expected for Dallas. Doncic finished with 26 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 assists to lead the Mavs’ attack. Their star power forward, Kristaps Porzingis, went down with an injury for Dallas. Although it doesn’t seem to be serious, Porzingis aka “The Unicorn,” now has a long history of injuries in his career.
Houston couldn’t overcome the Mavs’ hot start to the second half. Eric Gordon had another strong game off the bench for the Rockets. EG led all Houston players with 22 points. Christian Wood finished with a strong double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 17 boards. Kevin Porter Jr. had 13 points and 8 dimes, but still had 6 turnovers, as KPJ continues to work on protecting the basketball, and playing under control. Jalen Green came back to earth after his 30-point explosion against the Celtics. Green scored only 10 points on 4-for-16 shooting against a tougher Dallas team.
Even though the Rockets return home for their next game, the road doesn’t get any easier. The Utah Jazz, arguably the best team in the NBA so far this early season, come to town. Utah’s veteran team is undefeated, and their core have been together arguably longer than any contender in the league. It will be an extremely tough test for this young Houston team. However, the Rockets are getting better with each game, and despite the 1-3 record, the squad’s come a long way since getting blown out on Opening Night. Houston can only keep working and improving on their chemistry, and hope to steal a game against the Jazz at home, the Rockets final game in Houston before a grueling five-game road trip out West.