Rockets Roll Past Trail Blazers, 110-92, Win 9th Straight
Portland’s Finest. The Greenaissance. Keep the Momentum.
Just like in the previous matchup, the Rockets pulled away from the Trail Blazers in the second half, en route to a 110-92 victory on Monday night. The victory gives Houston their ninth straight win, the longest active winning streak in the league. Portland raised Ime Udoka has the Rockets playing at an incredibly high level of basketball. Despite missing three key rotational pieces (Alperen Sengun, Cam Whitmore, and Tari Eason), Udoka has his Rockets playing the best basketball Houston has witnessed in five years. Everyone on the roster has finally bought into Udoka’s system, and it’s paying huge dividends for the squad.
The Greenassaince continued as Jalen Green led the Rockets with 27 points. Green has been on a tear during this winning streak, scoring at least 26 points for the sixth straight time on Monday. Since the All-Star Break, and specially since Sengun’s injury, Green’s had a breakout second-half to his third campaign, putting the entire league on notice with his recent performances. Jock Landale had his best game as in a Rockets jersey. Landale scored a season-high 17 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in another impressive outing. The Rockets as a team held Chet Holmgren to his worst game of the season. OKC’s stellar rookie was held to 2 points on 0-2 shooting and fouled out for the first time in his career.
Up next, the Rockets will look to keep their momentum as they hit the road for a matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, followed by a visit to Utah to face the Jazz. If Houston wants to extend their winning ways on the road, they’re going to need to continue playing at a high level on both ends of the floors. The Rockets have won their last five road games, and aim to keep the momentum in OKC. The Thunder are a step up in competition over Houston’s previous several matchups. As the Rockets venture on the road, they’ll put their five game road winning streak on the line when they face Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.