Rockets Fall to Wolves, 104-96, for 7th Straight Loss
The Blues. Reverse Wreckage. Lacking the Sauce.
A 20-point lead wasn’t even enough for Houston to break the losing streak, as the Rockets lost to the Timberwolves, 104-96, on Sunday night. The defeat is Houston’s seventh in a row, and puts the squad now 20 games below .500 (10-30) on the season. Unlike many Rockets losses this season, this game had a different feel from the start, deceiving as it may have been. Houston came out of the gates ready to play, and earned a 9-point lead after the first quarter. The Rockets held a 58-38 lead in the second period before everything began to unravel. Once they had this 20-point lead, it appeared Houston was be on the verge of breaking the skid, but the Rockets wouldn’t add any more points to their edge. Houston was outscored by Minnesota 66-38 for the remainder of the contest. De’Angelo Russell scored 22 points, and Anthony Edwards added 21 points to lead the the Wolves’ attack. The victory gives Minnesota their fourth in a row, after losing their previous six straight games.
Kevin Porter Jr. led the Rockets with 25 points, and Alperen Sengun 18 points for Houston, although the big man didn’t score in the second half. Houston needs to use Sengun as often as possible on the offense. There’s no reason he should go scoreless in a full half. The Rockets need to do a better job of getting him the ball, while Sengun needs to demand the rock the on offense. The big man has a mismatch almost every night, and Houston needs to start taking advantage of their big weapon.
The Rockets led 58-38, before everything went wrong on Sunday night. Sengun only had 6 shots in the second half, and didn’t make a single one. This game was a sort of reverse wreckage for Houston, who is so used to playing from behind. The squad clearly became way too comfortable once they’d secured the 20-point lead. It was all too early in the matchup, as Minnesota had plenty of time to mount a comeback to deal the Rockets another loss. The main reason Houston lost is their lack of using the Sengun, and the “Sauce” he provides with his ridiculously talented post moves and passing on offense.The Rockets will now hit the road for a tough four-game trip out West. They’ll play the Kings twice in Sacramento, followed by a back-to-back against the Clippers and Lakers in L.A. to start next week. It won’t be easy to break the losing streak now that Houston is playing four straight tough road games. But the Rockets have a weird tendency to play better in games they shouldn’t win, as opposed to the embarrassment witnessed on Sunday night at Toyota Center. Hopefully that weird trend will show its face on the road, as the tough only gets tougher for the Rockets over the next four games.