Rockets Silence Thunder, 118-105, for First Winning Streak of Season
Going Streaking. Turkish Thunder. Turning the Corner.
For the first time all season, the Rockets won consecutive games, silencing the Thunder, 118-105, en route to a perfect home weekend. Jalen Green led the Rockets in scoring with 28 points on an efficient 11-for-19 shooting from the floor, but it was his distributing that drew the most attention. Green had a career high 9 assists as he continues to improve as a playmaker on the floor. Then Rockets withstood an “average” night from Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 32 points, right around his average on the season. Houston’s Alperen Sengun had arguably his best game of his NBA career. After returning from a one-game absence due to injury, Sengun had an absolutely dominant night.
The Turkish sensation scored 21 points, grabbed 19 rebounds, dished out 7 assists, and also had 3 steals and 2 blocks for good measure. Sengun was unstoppable against a young-OKC who had no answers for Houston’s big-man. Jabari Smith Jr. had another solid game for the Rockets, scoring 15 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in another efficient game. Jabari’s certainly turned a corner with his play compared to the first ten games of the season, Smith Jr. looks like a completely different, and more comfortable player.
In rare circumstances, the Rockets played with a lead for the almost the entirety of the game. After a hot start, OKC finished with a late comeback attempt to make the final score appear closer than the game actually was. For the first time all season, Houston controlled this contest from start to finish. Up next, the Rockets hit the road again for a brutal four-game road trip out West. Their opponents: the current top two seeds in the West (Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns), and the defending champs (Golden State Warriors). Elements are about to get trickier for this young Houston squad, as they head out on the road for another tough stretch in the schedule. Hopefully, they can steal a win or two, as they’ve certainly improved their play over the last few games. After that horrible loss against the Clippers that put Houston’s record at 2-12, the Rockets are 3-2 since. The squad’s certainly turned a corner, but the ultimate test awaits them in arguably the toughest road trip of the season. The squad will begin the festivities in Denver as they battle the Nuggets for two straight games in the Mile High City, on Monday and Wednesday respectively. Hopefully the momentum from Houston’s first winning streak of the year will travel with the team on the road… otherwise the Rockets could be in trouble over their next four games.