Rockets Stun Nuggets, Rally for 107-104 Comeback Win
How Sweet It Is! The Rise of Sengun. Breather.
“How Sweet it Is!”, as the former voice of the Rockets on radio, Gene Peterson, used to say on airwaves for 33 years after every Houston win. On Sunday night, Houston rallied in the fourth quarter to shock the best team in the NBA, the Denver Nuggets. The Rockets overcame a slow start, en route to winning their sixth consecutive game. Houston trailed 30-23 after the first quarter, but slowly crept back into the game, cutting the deficit to two entering the final period. The squad took the lead in the final minutes, toppling the champs for another upset victory, resulting in Houston’s most impressive win this season. The win concludes the longest home-stand of the year for the Rockets, as they finished with a 6-1 record, winning the last six games after opening with a heartbreaking loss to the Golden State Warriors. And each victory seemingly came against a better opponent, as Houston passed six of their first seven tests at home.
Fred VanVleet had a stellar performance for Houston once again, leading the squad in scoring with 26 points, and some key plays down the stretch. Alperen Sengun continues to make his case for being an All-Star this season. Sengun registered 23 points, 8 boards, and 5 assists. Houston’s big man also held his own against Denver’s Nikola Jokic. Arguably the best big man in the NBA, The Joker went off for another triple-double, recording a ridiculous 36 points, 21 rebounds, and 11 assists on the evening. Regardless, Sengun outplayed Joker down the stretch when the game mattered most, and the Rockets were able to pull-off the upset victory over the defending champs. Sengun held Jokic to 6-for-17 shooting form the floor as his primary defender. The Joker shot 7-for-9 against everyone else combined. Sengun’s defensive improvements have been a marvel to witness. Michael Porter Jr. was the biggest threat besides Jokic, but the Rockets weathered an efficient shooting night from MPJ, which resulted in 25 points, to stave off the Nuggets. Jeff Green, who has quietly been fantastic for Houston off the bench as a new addition to this unit, had arguably his best game of the season. Going up against his former team (Green played for Denver last season), Uncle Jeff scored 13 of his 15 points in the final period, and was a force on defense, calling out familiar plays for Houston on the defensive end. The other Green, Jalen, had his worst shooting game of the year, going 1-for-13 from the floor for only 9 points. However, Green had his best game of the season in terms of contributing in other areas for the Rockets. Houston’s young star secured 8 rebounds and dished out 5 dimes, big improvements over Green’s averages, and tying Sengun for the most of any Rocket on the night as he stay focused and locked-in during the contest. Green also avoided any turnovers or missed free throws, areas he’s struggled in to begin this season.
Houston has now won six games in a row, their longest winning streak since December of 2021. Head Coach Ime Udoka has the Rockets playing with a level of defensive intensity and focus on offense never witness during the Stephen Silas coaching era. Houston’s defense currently ranks 3rd in the entire league after being in the bottom four during Silas’ tenure. If Udoka ensures the Rockets continues to play at a high level on a nightly basis, he will be the front-runner for Coach of the Year. Besides the new coaching staff, the biggest reason the Rockets are playing at a high level is the rise of their young Center, Alperen Sengun. The big man has been the best Houston player overall all season so far. Not only is Sengun receiving more recognition in H-Town, he’s starting to put the entire league on notice. After holding his own against Jokic, New Orleans’ Zion Williamson, and Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis (twice), all Rocket victories, Sengun has shown he can outplay some of the NBA’s best big men. These guys may still be putting up big numbers, but Sengun is outplaying his opponents down the stretch as they fade and tire out. If Houston continues their winning ways, expect to hear Sengun’s name up for All-Star consideration. He’s off to a fantastic third year to begin his season, averaging 19.4 points on 60% shooting, while also registering 8.2 rebounds and 6 assists per game. Sengun’s expanded his game. He can attack off the dribble, back guys down and use a jump hook with any hand. Houston’s big man’s also developing a floater and he’s improved his jumper. The Rockets need Sengun to keep playing at a high level if they want to continue their winning streak on the road next weekend.
The squad now gets a bit of a breather, as the team has four days off before they embark on a three-game west coast road-trip starting Friday night in Los Angeles. Houston needs to rest up, as they’ve played every other night for nine days. The road trip begins with a matchup against the struggling Clippers. The Rockets then face the Lakers and Warriors in their first back-to-back of the season starting next Sunday. Hopefully, the winning ways continue on the road for Houston, one of the surprise teams of the NBA to begin this young season. Extending this victory by beating former Rocket James Harden and the Clippers would be, as Gene Peterson would say… “How Sweet It Is!”