Rockets’ Comeback Falls Short in 123-117 Loss to Pacers
Troubling Third. All-Sengun. The Fall Out.
For a moment, the Rockets appeared on the verge of another comeback. After holding a three-point edge at halftime, Houston was outscored 37-23 in the third period. The Rockets rallied to take a two-point lead 117-115, but the Pacers ended the game on an 8-0 run, as Houston fell to Indiana, 123-117, on Tuesday night. The Pacers, the NBA’s highest scoring team this season, were too much to handle. Their All-Star Tyrese Haliburton finished with 33 points to lead a balanced Indy attack that saw eight Pacers reach double-figures in scoring. Dillon Brooks’ left the contest in the third period with an injury, and never returned the game. His absence was felt on both ends of the court as the Rockets couldn’t slow Indy’s offensive powerhouse. This marks the first time all season Houston has lost when donning their “Hometown Heroes” threads.
Following the game of his life, Alperen Sengun had another outstanding performance. Sengun scored 30 points and grabbed 16 boards for the Rockets, and almost single-handedly got the squad back in the game. It wasn’t enough, as Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers were too hot for Houston to handle on Tuesday night. Regardless, Sengun has to be seriously considered for an All-Star bid, especially if the Rockets maintain a winning record. After winning eleven consecutive home games, the Rockets have now lost two of their last three matchups at Toyota Center. Houston doesn’t have to wait long to get back on track, as they’ll host the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night in the second part of a mid-week back-to-back.
For the second straight game, Jalen Green was nowhere to be found on the court in crunch time. Green failed to see even 20 minutes of action, only earning 19 minutes of court time despite still being in the starting lineup. Green scored only 5 points on seven shot attempts, and is in serious danger of falling out of the starting lineup, and potentially the rotation. The Rockets have been extremely patient with Jalen, but he’s shown no signs of improvement this season. Rather, he’s been digressing from the expectations set upon him. No one was expecting him to be a superstar this season. However, many people expected him to make the sort of progression that Sengun is showing on the court. The reality is, Sengun is far and away the best player on this Rockets team. Not only is he the best player. At only age 21, he’s a generational talent, the next great Rockets Big Man, following in the footsteps of Hakeem Olajuwon, Elvin Hayes, Moses Malone, Yao Ming, and other Hall-of-Fame centers who once played for Houston.
Despite the loss, the Rockets have been exceeding league-wide expectations this year. The games they do lose are usually nail-biters like Tuesday night’s fall to Indy. Coach Ime Udoka is playing to win, and Jalen Green isn’t playing hard enough to earn crunch time minutes. Sengun’s always been an offensive wizard, but his improvement on defense has been one of the major reasons Houston is excelling more than most thought this season. Green doesn’t exert any effort unless his shot is falling, which is rare nowadays. Jalen seems to have one good quarter every three or four games. He’s struggling to put one consistent performance together. And if the struggle continues, Green may find himself in a new role he never expected, or the Rockets may look to trade him. It’s still too early to jump the gun on Jalen, but the clock’s ticking after several dreadful performances, Hopefully it’s just the Holidays that have Green distracted, but if he doesn’t find his groove soon… he could be out of Houston sooner than anyone expected. The Rockets, per usual, were victims to several horrible late calls, that defiantly contributed to the Pacers winning this contest. Not saying the refs won the game for Indy, but they definitely got the benefit of the officials in this contest. Up next on the schedule, Jalen Green will attempt to bust out of his slump, as the Rockets get right back in action on Wednesday night when they welcome the struggling Phoenix Suns to town.