Rockets Silenced by Thunder in 126-107 Blowout Loss
Death by the Drive. Boxes and Elbows. Learning Curve.
The Rockets finally suffered their first blowout loss of the season, falling to the Thunder, 126-107, on Friday night. Shai Gilgeous Alexander and Chet Holmgren scored 29 points apiece to lead Oklahoma City. Houston managed to stay with OKC early, evening the score after one period. However, a dreadful second quarter was the Rockets undoing, as they were outscored 44-20 in the period, and never made the proceedings close after halftime. Houston’s defense was obliterated by points via driving to the basket. SGA scored 20 points on the drive alone. The Rockets need to tighten up their defense in the paint if they want to contend with the likes of the Thunder and the NBA’s elite. The 44 points Houston allowed in the second quarter is simply way too much. The Rockets have held teams to under 44 points in a half, but the Thunder stormed out of the gate after the first period to put the matchup away.
OKC swarmed Houston defensively, getting to all the elbows and boxes at necessary times to create double and triple teams on Rocket players. The Rockets didn’t play that bad, they just never recovered from a dreadful second quarter. And the fact Houston’s two best players went 8-26 from the floor, combined to the Thunder’s two best players, who shot 17-27 from the field. The Rockets won’t win many games when Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun have subpar performances in the same contest. Dillon Brooks led the Rockets in scoring with 17 points, but the squad needs more players to step up on nights like these. Houston will face OKC next on December 1st, when the Thunder make their first visit to Toyota Center.
This game is a learning experience for the Rockets. The Thunder are one of the best teams in the NBA, and arguably the best team in the Western Conference. Houston will improve as the season moves on, and they can take away many lessons from how OKC’s team-oriented attitude drives their success. The Rockets are still a very young team, and given the improvement they made last season, they will be better this year. However, realistically Houston is still a few seasons away from being legit contenders. Up next, the Rockets will try and avoid a blowout, as they visit the less completive Detroit Pistons for a Sunday afternoon matinee affair.