Sluggish Play Dooms Rockets in 104-98 Loss to Trail Blazers
Schedule Loss? No Gray Area. Breather.
For only the second time all season, the Rockets fell to a team with a losing record at home. Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons, and Shaedon Sharpe combined for 71 points as Houston lost to Portland, 104-98, on Saturday night. The defeat snaps Houston’s seven game home winning streak. It’s also the end of a rough stretch that consisted of five games in seven nights for the Rockets. Alperen Sengun scored 22 points to lead Houston, and Amen Thompson provided 19 points off the bench, but the Rockets ran out of gas in clutch time. Granted, there were certainly a few questionable calls, per usual for any game at Toyota Center. Fred VanVleet was ejected near the end of the contest for arguing with officials. FVV had a chance to tie the game in the final minute. Instead of being patient and trying to find a good shot, VanVleet tried to draw a foul and air-balled it from distance, essentially ending Houston’s chances at victory.
This was the second half of a back-to-back for the Rockets, and their fifth game in seven nights. But the Trail Blazers played last night too. And Houston had the homeport advantage, which makes this loss harder to stomach for the Rockets’ coaching staff. Portland came out from the opening tip with more energy. Despite this, Houston had a chance to win, but their lackluster start had them clawing away tirelessly for nearly the entire game. The squad appeared gassed in the final minutes, as this matchup ended a congested portion of the schedule for the Rockets. One could call it a schedule loss, but these are the type of games Championship contenders win. And Houston isn’t quite on that level yet. They’ve made vast, solid improvements this season, but they’ll need to fix one issue if this team wants to be considered among the elites.
Houston, we have a Jalen Green problem. After a scorching start over his first five games, Green has regressed to the a slight improvement over the player we saw last year. This season, Green’s defense and clutch play has improved, but he’s still frustratingly inefficient. To the point of nearly driving a coach insane. He shot only 3-for-14 in Saturday night’s loss, including an abysmal 1-for-9 from beyond the arc en route to only 10 points. In his fourth season, the clock is ticking for Green. He will either go down as the greatest case study of all time for the merits in patience in player development and non-linear progression, or possibly the biggest bust in franchise history. There’s no a gray area for Green if he can’t develop some consistency. Some nights he looks like a legitimate future All-Star in this league. However, those games are the rarity. If Green can’t produce on a consistent level, expect to hear his name in possible trade discussions. That’s if Houston can find a way to move him without breaking up their young core. Everyone on this squad knows their role, and Green is the outlier when it comes to efficiency. Like any player, certain Rockets will have bad games, but Green is under a different spotlight. After signing a three-year deal in the offseason, one could at least hope for a breakout-season, at least one in the corridors of efficiency. But Green hasn’t shown that after his solid five game start. He’s regressed to taking bad shots from long range, and doesn’t rely on his athleticism. If Green attacks the basket more often, his success will rise. If he continues to settle, the Rockets will need to ponder if they want to continue to settle with his shenanigans.
After playing five games in seven nights, Houston gets a breather of sorts with two days off before their next contest. This is a tough loss to swallow, but the Rockets are still third in the Western Conference standings. And in their next matchup they can clinch their NBA Cup Group with a win in Minnesota over the Timberwolves. It’ll be the first of another back-to-back for Houston, as they’ll play the 76ers in Philly on Wednesday night. Hopefully this two-day break helps the Rockets prepare for a tough battle in Minnesota on Tuesday night.