Second Half Dooms Rockets in 110-91 Loss to Mavs
Opposite Halves. Brunson Burner. Nine Lives.
Houston’s first game of their three-game road trip was a tale of two halves. The Rockets held a one-point edge at halftime, but that lead quickly vanquished after the break. Houston failed to score 20 points in either quarter after halftime, as the Rockets fell to the Mavericks, 110-91, on Wednesday night. Alperen Sengun led Houston with 14 points and 11 rebounds in only 22 minutes of action. The Turkish rookie sensation looks poised to take over the starting role at either power forward or center, depending on if the squad retains Christian Wood in the offseason. Jalen Green had a rare off-night during this second-half of the season. Green scored only 8 points on a struggling 3-for-11 shooting from the floor. But the story of this game was Jalen Brunson.
Brunson scored 16 of his 28 points in the third quarter, burning any hopes Houston had of maintaining their halftime lead. Spencer Dinwiddie added 26 points for Dallas, who won easily without their superstar Luka Doncic. The Rockets aim for a better result as they travel to the northwest to take on Portland for two games back-to-back in Oregon.
Only nine games remain in the season for Houston. Nine more chances to pad the win column. The Rockets’ draft chances are essentially locked into the best chance for the optimal outcome when the ping-pong balls dance in June. Can the squad reach 20 wins with only 9 games to go? The Trail Blazers have really struggled, and should give Houston a great chance to take at least one win of the two games in Portland this weekend.