Thunderstruck: OKC Edges Houston, 114-112, as Rockets Lose 20th Straight
Close… but So Far Away. Conversation Time. 20-Burgers of Shame.
The Rockets came so close, with a last-second shot by John Wall that would have broken Houston’s losing streak, had it fallen. But the heave from way beyond the arc was off-range, as the Rockets came up short against the Thunder, 114-112, enduring yet another loss in one of the most miserable losing streaks in NBA history. Hey, at least this one wasn’t by double-digits, right? Still, a Rockets team going up against a short-handed Thunder team should’ve won the game, but this Houston squad is bad… real bad.
The NBA Trade Deadline is this Thursday, only a few days away. Houston is one of many teams that have been in the rumor mill. Will the Rockets make a move or two at the deadline? With a team that can’t seem to win if you put a gun to the squad’s collective head, a change might be necessary. Something has to be tweaked. Because with Christian Wood, John Wall, Victor Oladipo, and a young Kevin Porter Jr., Houston is too talented to lose 20 straight games. But alas, that’s exactly what they’ve done. That final shot summarized Houston’s season perfectly. Down by two points, the Rockets only needed a bucket to send the game to overtime. Nevertheless, in this world, where every player seems trigger-happy from long range, Wall settled for a long three-pointer that clanked off the rim. Despite his ability to get to the rack at ease, Wall settled. Houston needs to stop settling. It’s why they’ve lost 20 games in a row. The little things. Settling for the second-to-best-shot on a play instead of looking for the best. Until the Rockets play smarter, they aren’t winning any time soon.
Maybe it’s the fact that no one can score more than in the 20’s on a consistent basis. Houston no longer has a James Harden they can ride to save them on nights when the group collectively is in disarray. Houston’s got plenty of guys who can score 20 on any given night: John Wall, Christian Wood, Victor Oladipo, Kevin Porter Jr., Eric Gordon, and even other guys when given the opportunity to step up. But, the Rockets no longer have that go-to, get-me-a-bucket-right-now kind of guy that Harden was. And they can continue to score in the 20-point range, but one of these games, it would be nice to see someone take over, take control of the game. Does Houston have anyone with that kind of firepower. We’ve seen glimpses from all the aforementioned names, but not on a consistent basis. The squad needs some intelligence and consistency… or the Rockets will keep on coming up just short of victory.