Rockets vs. Nets Post-Game 1/3/24

Rockets Slice Nets, 112-101, for Second Straight Victory

Third Quarter Fire.    All-Sengun.    Prepare for War.

For the second straight game, the Rockets were fired up coming out of halftime. And it paid off, as Houston beat the Brooklyn Nets, 112-101, on Wednesday night for their second straight win. After trailing by one point at halftime, the Rockets outscored the Nets 38-25 in the third quarter to take control of the game. Whatever Houston’s Head Coach Ime Udoka said during the break amped the Rockets up, as they came out of halftime more aggressive compared to their lethargic first half. Houston held Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson to 15 points apiece. No one else was nearly as productive for Brooklyn.

Alperen Sengun led the way for the Rockets with 30 points. It’s The Wizard’s fourth 30-point game this season, and the fifth of his career. Sengun is averaging a monstrous 28.1 points a game over his last seven contests, leading Houston’s scoring charge in most matchups. The first All-Star returns came out, and Sengun is currently 6th in the Western Conference Frontcourt voting. It’s highly doubtful Sengun gets a starting nod, but coaches around the league recognize his talent. He will likely, and deservedly, be selected as an All-Star reserve for the West, which would mark Sengun’s first career All-Star selection. The big man is certainly playing like an All-Star. And the evidence lies deeper than just glancing at Sengun’s statistics. His hustle, energy, and especially defense have all improved immensely since last season. Sengun was considered somewhat of a defensive liability last year. This season, Sengun is showing he can play on both ends with the league’s best big men on a nightly basis.

Fred VanVleet secured his 12th double-double of the campaign, adding 21 points and 10 dimes for Houston. Cam Whitmore scored a career-high 11 points in 17 minutes, as he continues to improve with more playing time. Jalen Green’s three-game streak of 20-point games came to an end. Green scored 14 points on 5-for-15 shooting, another inefficient performance. Hopefully Jalen can bounce back this weekend, as the Rockets have arguably their toughest back-to-back of the season to close this seven-game home-stand. Houston will host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night, followed by the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. The Wolves are currently first in the West, and the Bucks are second in the East. It will be tough, but the Rockets have the talent and potential determination to win at least one, if not both, of these contests. They’ll need to play with that third quarter fire in all four periods coming up this weekend.