Houston’s Offense Gets Thunderstruck in 98-80 Loss to OKC
Everything was in line for the Rockets to get their fourth straight win… No Westbrook, Thunder played the previous night, Houston had two days of rest… until the game began. The Thunder scored the first 6 points of the game, never looked back, and won easily. The Rockets lost this game the way they’ve lost their previous five defeats. They trailed early, and were never really in the game, as it’s become evident that Houston has some serious problems that need fixing if they want to be considered title contenders once again. The Rockets followed up their best win of the season in Indiana with their worse loss of the season Thursday night in Oklahoma City. The offense was historically bad. Especially in this era, where teams rarely score below 90, the Rockets barely managed to get 80 points on the board. 35 points in the second half just is not good enough with the talent Houston has on its roster. Not a single Rocket scored 20 points or more in an entire game for the first time I can remember in a very, very, LONG time. Carmelo Anthony’s return was disastrous. Anthony didn’t even see the ball go through the hoop (his lone two points were courtesy of a goaltending call). James Harden, Clint Capela, and Chris Paul all had below average games for themselves. Eric Gordon, who was rumored to play, didn’t feel good enough to give it a go. Hopefully EG’s return will spark a much needed fuse for this Rockets team that needs to turn the heat up. This loss shows what happens when the shots aren’t falling. Last season, when the shots weren’t falling, at least the Rockets were still making games competitive. Houston will need to reassemble their collective mindsets in order to get back to their slogan, Run As One. When the Rockets “Run As One”, they’re one of the league’s most lethal teams. The fact that they fail to maximize usage of their versatile weaponry to beat teams only frustrates the most disciplined viewers, and makes the casual fans tune out. The Rockets will attempt to erase this game from their memories and move on to San Antonio… where a tough, new-look Spurs team awaits.