Rockets Scorch Trail Blazers, 116-88, for Second NBA Cup Win
First Place. Two for Two. Mentally Trill.
Despite allowing the Portland to score the first 8 points, Houston easily dispatched the Blazers, 116-88, on Friday night. The win gives the Rockets their second NBA Cup victory and moves them ahead into sole possession of first place in West Group A. Houston has now won seven in a row at home, and nine of their last eleven games overall. If the Rockets can win one of their two remaining NBA Cup Games (at Minnesota on November 26th, and at Sacramento on December 3rd) they should be able to advance to the knockout round. The Sacramento Kings are 0-2 to start NBA Cup Group Play. The other three teams in Houston’s group (L.A. Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers, and Minnesota Timberwolves) all split their first two games and sit at 1-1 in the group standings.
Dillon Brooks scored a season-high 28 points, including a career-high tying six three-pointers. Brooks scored 16 points in the third quarter as the Rockets distanced themselves from the Blazers to make the fourth quarter officially garbage time. Houston had another balanced scoring attack. Tari Eason scored 22 points off the bench, as he continues to make a serious case for Sixth Man of the Year. Jalen Green scored 17 points on another meh shooting night. He did have another highlight-worthy dunk in the first half, but Green has a bad habit of taking tough shots after getting off to a good start. It’s the root cause of his efficiency problem. Alperen Sengun added 14 points and 8 boards, but his services weren’t needed per usual in this easy blowout win for the Rockets. Amen Thomson had a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double off the bench, as the Terror Twins were up to their usual destructive antics, wreaking havoc against Portland on the court. No Blazers player scored over 13 points, as Houston’s defense was suffocating throughout the contest. The Rockets have one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, and the league’s starting to take notice.
These same tow teams will square-off for a rematch tomorrow night back at Toyota Center. It’s tough to beat the same team twice in a row, but Houston already managed that feat against the Los Angeles Clippers earlier this season in their first NBA Cup win. Being at home, the Rockets should have the advantage in the rematch. As long as Ime Udoka keeps his troops mentally trill, Houston should be able to sweep the two-game set on Saturday night. After a mental letdown in their season opener to the Charlotte Hornets, the Rockets haven’t suffered any bad losses (which I define as home losses to teams with losing records). Houston is now 11-3 since their 1-2 start, and 9-2 in their last eleven games. As long as the Rockets keep taking care of business, and beating the teams they’re supposed to, they should continue to stay near the top of the standings in the Western Conference.