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[Houston Rockets]

The Sun Also Sets. Rockets Pluck Phoenix 117-98

The Rockets were without Alperen Sengun due to illness, and of course DFS (Definitely Fictional Signing) and FVV, The Suns were without Devin Booker, Isiah Livers and you may remember Rockets draftee Jalen Green, who is still out as well. (There was apparently some lingering BBS (Bradley Bealefluenza) in the locker room in Phoenix, and it has broken Iron Man Jalen Green). How would things turn out?

Well, despite the best efforts of Kanadian Kobe, Dillon Brooks, Mr.Vengeance, about the same as the last time the Rockets played Phoenix. which was a Rockets win by a similar score, 114-92. Phoenix beat the Lakers on Monday, and had a nice long rest before this one. The Rockets will travel to The Metroplex to play the Metroplexians tomorrow night, who will also play on a back to back after a short trip home from a loss to Occupied North Texas.

Anyhow, despite no Sengun, and a sluggish start, this one was over by early in the third quarter. The Rockets looked faintly terrible early on, losing the first quarter 31 to 24 to Dillon Brooks. They caught fire in the second quarter, winning that one 44-27, and continued to pour it on in the third, smacking the Suns to the tune of 29-14. The entire fourth quarter was garbage time.

The main news tonight is that Kevin Durant hit a big round number for total points scored in his regular season career, breaking through 31.000. Durant had passed Doctor J recently (combined NBA/ABA) and will, with any luck, pass Wilt Chamberlain at 31,419 points in the next few months. Dirk Nowitski, at 31,560, might fall this season as well with a healthy and steady scoring output.

If Durant, who has played in 17 of 20 games can keep to roughly that pace next season, and his current scoring output of 25ppg, he’d pass Michael Jordan (32,292) sometime in the first half of next season. He might overtake Kobe Bryant (33,643) that same season.

The execrable Karl Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lebron James will be tougher. Malone stands at 36.928, and fortunately the great Kareem will always and forever be ahead of The Failman at 38,387. Unless Durant sees no falloff over the next three or four seasons the top three, including Lebron James at 42,268 (and counting, but slowly) are almost certainly out of reach.

Anyhow, back to tonight. Durant ended up putting on a display of the essence of what makes KD so special. He made impossible seeming shots look easy – slithering sideways and falling away the other direction in traffic, shooting a fall away from behind the backboard, leaning into a contested three pointer and swishing it. He scored 29 on 11-17 shooting, with his misses appearing to all come in the first quarter. He was 2-2 from three, only 4-4 on free throws, and added 4rbs, 8ast. 3stl, 1blk. He did have five turnovers, but again they seemed to come early, and some of them were on daring passes, which didn’t always work out, but a fair few did. It’s great to see a player charge forward past a milestone and Durant definitely did that tonight. As a Houston Rocket.

Amen Thompson had his best scoring game of the season, as no one on Phoenix could hope to stay in front of him. He scored 31 on 12-17 shooting, only attempted 1 three, which he made. He went 6-6 on continuing much improved free throw shooting. He had 4 rebounds and 1 assist to 3 turnovers. The Rockets essentially took the point guard keys away from Amen after a fairly dismal and ineffective first quarter in the role and handed them to Reed Sheppard and Kevin Durant. This worked out well, as Amen started doing things he is good at, instead of things he CAN do, but perhaps shouldn’t do, given there’s an actual, and arguably better point guard on the team, and what he does best, no one else in the NBA can do quite like him (except his clone).

Jabari Smith honestly sparked the Rockets comeback, playing with force, aggression, and an improved handle tonight. He scored 16 on 5-8 shooting. I’d love to see Jabari take more shots, be more assertive still, as the combination of an aggressive, effective Jabari and Kevin Durant simply overwhelms most defenses when it’s happening.

The Rockets all shot it well tonight, shooting 59% overall, 56% from three point range (on a mere 18 attempts) and 89% from the free throw line (on only 18 attempts). Phoenix, except for Dillon Brooks The ReReVenger, was abject shooting it tonight, shooting 39% overall, a woeful 14% from three on 36 shots, and a decent 79% from the line on 17-19 shooting. Rookie Jamaree Bouyea had a great night, unlike the rest of the team, scoring 18 points in mostly garbage time minutes, but also getting spectacularly and brutally rejected by Clint Capela on a high flying dunk attempt.

Clint “The Stag” Capela blocked Bouyea’s dunk with both hands and knocked him to the floor late in the game. Tonight was overall the best Capela has looked to me this season. He played 18 minutes tonight, grabbed 7 rebounds and had 4 blocks and a nice dunk on a feed from Reed. Perhaps the Steven Adams rejuvenation techniques are starting to work with Capela? He seems to be moving better, with more spring, and looks to be slimming down as well.

Was Phoenix’ shooting a product of great Rockets defense? To an extent. It was more a product of just not having much in the way of scoring threats beyond Brooks. Colin Gillespie and “Dick” Grayson Allen are good shooters, but neither is anything like a primary option. They feast off the space and threat Devin Booker, and shockingly, Dillon Brooks, provide. We’ll see what Jalen Green might bring to the table for the Suns if he can beat his nasty case of BBS (Bradley Beale Syndrome).

Brooks was his irritating, amusing self on his return to Houston, wherein both he and Jalen Green received a nice tribute video from the Rockets, and warm applause from the crowd. Brooks has somehow given yet another team a defensive identity. It’s undeniable at this point that this is something that just happens with Dillon on a team. Consider what Memphis’ defense has looked like since he left.

Tonight Dillon’s dreams came partially true, as he was free to do whatever he wanted on offense, and he started that off by scoring 14 in the first quarter. The Rockets focused on him after that, and he managed 9 more points the rest of the way. He ended up with 23 on 10-24 shooting with a 0-4 goose egg from three, 3-4 FT, 4 rbs, 4 ast, and four fouls, including jawing at Steven Adams, who actually appeared to be annoyed.

Anyhow, everything turned into a parade for Kevin Durant tonight. Hopefully Alpie will feel well enough to play in Dallas tomorrow, otherwise it’ll be a lot of Clint Capela and Jabari Smith against Dallas’ big frontline.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rockets-analysis/37103/the-sun-also-sets-rockets-pluck-phoenix-117-98

 

[Houston Rockets]

Rockets Kevin Durant is running out of NBA time

When I was a kid, we used to sing “Time is My Friend” by Julie Andrews at assemblies. I didn’t think much of it at the time.

At 38, I’m reevaluating my relationship with time. Time is decidedly not my friend. It’s closer to a (literal) mortal enemy. Would a friend ensure that I had periodic back pain? Does a friend force you to compromise all your dreams? What kind of friend is time?

Time is not an NBA player’s friend, either. This whole intro has largely been a circuitous route around the old “Father Time is undefeated” cliche. Well, there it is. Father Time is undefeated, and so is the sports aphorism.

Ask a Lakers fan. LeBron James is no longer LeBron James. He’s averaging 14.0 points and 7.8 assists per game across the five games he’s managed to suit up for this year. He just scored fewer than 10 points in a game for the first time in approximately several eons. It has finally happened.

On a less morose note: 14 and 8 at the age of 40? Excuse me? Yes, James is a shell of his former self, in the same way that a Komodo dragon is a relative of a dinosaur. If you want to wrestle a Komodo dragon, be my guest.

All of which brings us to Kevin Durant.

Rockets’ Kevin Durant can’t play forever​

James is 40. Durant is 37. From a social standpoint, they’re peers, but in NBA terms, those three years are meaningful.

At 37, Durant is averaging 25.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. He’s got a 61.4 True Shooting % (TS%) and a 2.3 Box Plus/Minus (BPM). This is not prime Durant, but it’s still a star player.

Will that still be true next year?

Let’s look at James at 38. In 2022-23, he averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game with a 58.3 TS% and 6.1 BPM. If we’re strictly using this comparison, we can conclude that Durant will still be star-caliber next year:

But that would be dreadful logic.

Durant is not James. James is not Durant. BPM shines on James’s more holistic statistical production. For Durant, the key stats to look at are points per game and TS%. His combination of volume and efficiency this year is passable, but the situation is tenuous. A slight decline in efficiency, and Durant is suddenly just not that efficient.

Luckily, James’ TS% increased in his age-39 season.

The point of the comparison is to engender hope. James staved off age-related decline until 40. If Durant can do the same, he’ll be a star scorer for the Rockets for three more seasons.

I wouldn’t count on it.

Still, there’s strong hope that he can give the Rockets a season or two more. For argument’s sake, let’s assume Durant has a nearly identical 2026-27 season, and noticeably declines in 2027-28:

Is that enough to justify having acquired him?

Rockets can’t regret Durant acquisition​

It depends.

Time is Jalen Green’s friend, but they may not be as close as you think. His statistical projection seems bleak. If you trust DARKO (“Daily Adjusted and Regressed Kalman Optimized“), a “composite predictive metric that uses box score and plus-minus stats”, Green is a bit ahead of Zach LaVine at 24 and well behind Devin Booker.

That checks out. Even if you don’t like those stats, it feels like a fair projection for Green. He still has the potential to be a bit better than Zach LaVine.

That’s Zach “no NBA team wants him” LaVine, also known as Zach “I’ll get you 25, but I do so little else that it won’t help us win” LaVine. If that’s Green’s outlook, the Rockets shed a long-term albatross contract.

Now, if you like Green, you’ll feel differently. Fair. You’re entitled to your opinion. You may also think Khaman Maluach is a guy. It’s too early to call that one in either direction.

Here’s the point: if you’re low on Green, flipping him and the 10th pick for even two years of this level of Durant’s production was a sound process. Still, the Rockets need to understand that nothing lasts forever. Durant is old, and he’s getting older. There’s another cliche about time:

It waits for no one.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...ckets-kevin-durant-is-running-out-of-nba-time

 

[Houston Rockets]

Rockets hope for better back-to-back outcome vs. Mavs

Houston Rockets vs Dallas Mavericks​

Saturday, December 6, 2025​

Location: American Airlines Areans — Dallas, Texas

TV: Space City Home Network

Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790

Online: Rockets App

Gametime: 7:30 PM CST

Probable Starting Lineups​

Rockets: A. Thompson, Josh Okogie, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Steven Adams

Mavs: RJ Nemhard Jr., Copper Flagg, Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, Naji Marshall

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...-dallas-mavericks-alperen-sengun-kevin-durant

 

[Houston Rockets]

Short-handed Rockets drop another back-to-back, 122-109 to Mavs

The Houston Rockets went into Saturday’s game with the Dallas Mavericks pretty short-handed. Alperen Sengun was out due to illness. Steven Adams sat for the back-to-back. And with Dorian Finney-Smith, Tari Eason and Fred VanVleet already on the shelf, that’s a playoff team in and of itself on the bench for the Rockets. Add in their second back-to-back of the season and you have a recipe for a loss, which is exactly what you got in Saturday’s 122-109 defeat.

It was a tight game to start, but the tired legs and lack of depth caught up to the Rockets in the second half, and the Mavs blew the game open with a huge third quarter, sending the Rockets to 15-6 on the year in the loss.

Houston was led by Kevin Durant’s 27 points on 11-for-20 shooting, but he had virtually no other stats — just 1 rebound and 3 assists — on the night. The Rockets also got 22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block from Jabari Smith Jr. on 10-for-19 shooting from the floor, but Houston’s starters were resoundly outplayed by the Dallas starters, with not a single Rockets starter finishing with a positive plus-minus.

The Mavs were also down several players, including Kyrie Irving and their top two centers, and were also on a back-to-back, so no excuses for the Rockets, but it was their second straight ugly loss on a back-to-back. Ime Udoka is going to need to do something about that.

The Rockets did get some positive bench peformances, with Aaron Holiday finishing with 19 points on 7-for-12 from the floor, and Reed Sheppard finished with 12 points and 3 assists on 5-for-8 shooting. They played 27 and 20 minutes, respectively, and were the only two Rockets to finish with a positive plus-minus for the game despite some questionable defense.

The Mavs were led by Anthony Davis, who finished with 29 points and 8 boards, while rookie Cooper Flagg added 19 points, 5 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.

Houston allowed Dallas to shoot a ridiculous 60 percent from the field, and you’re not going to win many games that way, especially when you turn the ball over 18 times as the Rockets did.

Houston is now off until Thursday, when they return to action against the L.A. Clippers. Hopefull, they’ll have a few guys back by then.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...ets-drop-another-back-t0-back-122-109-to-mavs

 

[Houston Rockets]

Kevin Durant endears himself to Rockets Twitter community

Although Kevin Durant is easily one of the game’s greatest players to ever lace up his sneakers, he’s faced a myriad of criticism over the years.

Well, mainly on two fronts. And both are pretty baseless.

(And no, I’m not biased.)

Durant has drawn the “team-hopper” moniker, which is par for the course in sports leagues these days, especially the NBA. It’s a player-driven league.

Players owe it to themselves to seek what they deem to be the best situation for their careers. It’s been happening for decades.

Charles Barkley did it 30 years ago when he joined the Houston Rockets. LeBron James has done it several times.

The other criticism Durant has faced is regarding his social media presence.

People feel an NBA superstar and all-time great shouldn’t spend a significant amount of time on Twitter.

(Or X, but Twitter still sounds better. In fact, does anyone even call it “X”?)

The premise is that he should be spending all of his time in the gym, working on his game and building upon his craft.

Right. Because that’s what we do in our everyday jobs, right?

(Hopefully you can sense the sarcasm).

Durant has really embraced the fan interaction aspect of the game that we don’t usually see superstar athletes do.

Which he should garner praise for.

In a short time with the Rockets, Durant has endeared himself to the Rockets Twitter community.

Especially after Friday’s Twitter post, in which Rockets Twitter account @RocketsEdits (who is a must follow, I should add) tweeted that he’d be taking an absence from social media until Rockets point guard Amen Thompson scored 30 points.

“Not tweeting again until Amen Thompson scores 30 or more points”

Not tweeting again until Amen Thompson scores 30 or more points pic.twitter.com/RPDsWcZCV7

— RocketsEdits (@RocketsEdits) October 29, 2025

During Friday night’s victory over the Phoenix Suns, Thompson scored 31 points on 12-of-17 from the field.

Durant replied to the tweet, posting the Druski meme.

Rockets fans relished in the moment, noting the unique opportunity to interact with one of the greatest players of all-time. It’s unique that Durant even knew the tweet existed.

That type of accessibility isn’t normal. Again, it’s become frowned upon, in Durant’s case.

He gets scrutinized for it. But fans and fanbases appreciate it and don’t take it for granted.

It’s far from the norm.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...-himself-to-houston-rockets-twitter-community

 

[Houston Rockets]

Rockets need for a veteran point guard might lead back to Chris Paul

Chris Paul is far past his prime. His role on any NBA basketball team has become veteran mentor and as always an extension of the coaching staff. The days of him being a leading man on a championship team are long gone. Chris Paul hasn’t shied away from the fact that this season will be his farewell tour. Well, that farewell tour just turned into a vengeance tour, because the Los Angeles Clippers just unceremoniously announced that Paul is no longer a part of the team. Now the question looms, where will he go next?

Chris Paul texted @ChrisBHaynes with an update about his future after his release from the Clippers.#NBAonPrime pic.twitter.com/f1v33yXz2r

— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) December 6, 2025

Aside from the fact that Chris Paul is the single biggest “what if” in Rockets history, there is actually a void on this team he fills, if he wanted to return to Houston. Since Fred VanVleet’s season ending injury, the discussion has surrounded the team about who the Rockets could trust to lead the team’s offense. As it turned out the answer was already on their roster in Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and the emergence of Reed Sheppard.

With the league’s second-ranked offense and defense, the transition has been more seamless than Rockets fans may have feared. As it turns out Fred’s production on the court was able to be replaced. However, there is something Paul brings that has not been able to be replaced and that is his ability to control the ball without turning it over. The Rockets currently have the sixth most turnovers in the entire league.

So, hear me out… the easy move for Chris Paul is to go to the Lakers or to the OKC Thunder, if they see fit to make a roster spot for him. However, there is no real role for Chris Paul on the Lakers or Thunder other than a feel-good story. He would essentially be a mascot, paraded out before every road game to waive goodbye to a spattering mix of cheers and boos from the crowd. Then he would sit waiting for a blowout or an injury.

I’m not saying Chris Paul would be a starter in Houston, or even a featured member off the bench like Tari Eason, but there are valuable minutes that Paul could play vital role in getting the Rockets into their offensive sets and mentoring Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson while being on the court and participating in practices. His most valuable asset has always been the ability to calm things down when they get hectic on the court. To top it all off, if anyone who is a fan of Chris Paul wants to see him get his storybook ending, he could still get that here in Houston.

There is no team that Chris Paul played on that had a better chance of winning an NBA Title than the 2017-2018 Houston Rockets, who were possibly a hamstring pull away from defeating arguably the greatest team ever assembled in the Golden State Warriors. Can you imagine what would be said about Chris Paul if he were to go to the defending champs, who are favored to win it all again this season, and they don’t win the championship? Regardless of his role on the team he would be crucified through no fault of his own.

Chris Paul has a reputation of not being the easiest person to get along with, due to his relentlessness when it comes to holding his teammates accountable to the same standard he holds himself to. There have been rumblings that not only was that the reason that James Harden had him removed from the Rockets after just two seasons, but that may have been why he was removed from the Clippers. According to Kevin O’Connor, James Harden pushed back on Chris Paul’s signing.

It’s well known that Chris Paul comes with baggage. But you know who else has a rep for rubbing people the wrong way for demanding accountability.? Ime Udoka, who has already established a culture of accountability. It’s the type of low-risk possibly high-reward move that Raphael Stone likes to make. Add on the fact that he just happens to be Reed Sheppard’s favorite player of all-time, that he has tried to pattern his game after.

It makes more sense than you want to admit as you’re reading this. Is it going to happen? I don’t know, but I will say if Raphael Stone has not at least picked up the phone and inquired about Chris Paul then he is doing this team a disservice. Pick up the phone, start with the team washing machine as your trade package and see where you get from there. Worst case scenario you move on to something else, best-case scenario you have an on the court solution to veteran leadership at the point guard position.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...ers-amen-thompson-alperen-sengun-kevin-durant

 

[Houston Rockets]

Dorian Finney-Smith nearing his season debut for Rockets

The Houston Rockets made a number of large acquisitions during the previous summer. What one individual considers a spectacular acquisition may not be the same for another. Regardless of the individual or the criterion, Kevin Durant is an unquestionable splash move. He is regarded as one of the all-time great players in the game.

Additionally, after the departure of Dillon Brooks, who had emerged as the team’s leader and was traded to the Phoenix Suns in the Durant trade, Houston acquired forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who was sought after by numerous teams, as he was a top-tier defender and had developed into a top-tier outside shooter during the previous season, making 41.1 percent of his three-point shots at a respectable volume (five attempts). Finney-Smith signed a four-year contract worth $52.7 million with the Rockets, providing them another 3-and-D-fit switchable wing defender.

However, after signing, Dorian then underwent ankle surgery and has not yet suited up for the Rockets this season, which is about a fourth of the way through. Finney-Smith’s absence has been amplified as forward Tari Eason is also out of commission with an oblique injury. Houston is erring on the side of caution, however, as Finney-Smith played through injury extensively in past years, which likely is extending his healing process, which is why the Rockets aren’t rushing his return and are allowing him ample time to heal.

After what has felt like radio silence, we heard from head Coach Ime Udoka, and it seems Finney-Smith may be getting close to making his Rockets debut.

“Dorian is improving,” Udoka said. “He’s starting to ramp it up a little bit. He’ll get some live work in. Obviously, how he reacts to that determines when he gets back. It will be a little bit still. I think we’re anticipating more around January hopefully, but he’s getting into the phase of playing a little bit more now.”

This is great news for Rocket’s fans, as many have been awaiting Finney-Smith’s debut,

Houston has a short break before hosting the Clippers at Toyota Center Thursday night at 7:00. As always, you can find game coverage on Space City Home Network or NBA League Pass, and can find pre- and post-game coverage here at the Dreamshake.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...ey-smith-nearing-his-season-debut-for-rockets

 

[Houston Rockets]

VOTE: Who has been the most valuable Rockets player?

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Rockets fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

The Rockets are 15-6. They have a top-five offense and a top-five defense. They appear to be on the fast track for a playoff run. But who has been their best player?

It’s down to two.

The first option is Alperen Sengun. He’s averaging 23.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1 block per game on 50.5 percent shooting from the field and 38.5 percent from deep. His assist numbers are the team high, while his scoring and blocks average are both second on the team. He’s been every bit the Baby Jokic he’s been dubbed.

The other option is Kevin Durant, who’s been as good as advertised. He’s leading the the team in scoring at 25.3 points per game, while also adding 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. He’s shooting an almost identical 50.5 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from three. His presence has opened up plenty of opportunities for other Rockets players.

Your job is to tell us which of those two has been the most valuable for the Rockets so far this season.

Cast your vote, tell us in the comments, and we’ll be back soon with the results.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...on-rockets-player-alperen-sengun-kevin-durant

 

[Houston Rockets]

Kevin Durant is ‘having fun again’ with Rockets

The blockbuster trade that landed Kevin Durant on the Houston Rockets was quite the bargain for Rockets GM Rafael Stone. The Rockets had to surrender Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and the 10th overall pick in the draft.

That’s a relatively small price to pay for one of the game’s greatest players ever, even if he is aging (Durant turned 37-years-old prior to the start of the season).

Granted, it would be nice to still have Brooks. Especially now, with Tari Eason sidelined and Dorian Finney-Smith still out.

But again, as he once said, he’s Kevin Durant. And he’s still averaging 25.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 50.5 percent from the field, 38.4 percent from deep, 89 percent from the foul line, and 62 percent true shooting.

He’s taking 17.4 shots – his fewest since the 2020-21 season.

But he’s having fun again, as told by his trainer, Dash Lovell.

Lovell spoke with Mark Medina and elaborated on Durant’s season thus far.

“I love seeing KD have fun again. That’s what I’m seeing. At his age, he’s having fun and being youthful.”

Life is certainly good when you’re playing alongside Alperen Sengun, who is easily the best center Durant has ever played alongside.

Sengun has drawn double-teams quite frequently this season, leaving Durant open.

Again, life is good when you have that luxury.

Durant’s transition and integration onto the Rockets has been quite seamless. But that’s because Durant did a significant amount of prep work beforehand. Per Lovell, Durant studied film on Amen Thompson and Sengun, to see where they like to get the ball and review their strengths and weaknesses.

He also approached this season as if it were his rookie year. Being first in the gym, getting his day started early, going to bed early and canceling anything that interfered with basketball, even endorsement opportunities and business ventures.

With Durant, the Rockets boast the league’s second-best offense and fourth highest scoring attack. And a fun environment, in the process.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...rant-is-having-fun-again-with-houston-rockets

 

[Houston Rockets]

Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Clippers game preview

The Los Angeles Clippers are having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year. At 6-18, they’re underperforming with a team that many, myself included, thought would be a solid playoff squad.

Instead, they haven’t been able to get going. Kawhi Leonard started off the bad vibes with the Aspiration revelations, then did his usual Kawhi thing and has missed 10 of LA’s 24 games. Now, they’re still dealing with the Chris Paul fallout after sending the Point God home due to clashes with Ty Lue and the front office. Oh, and LA’s first round pick is headed to Oklahoma City, continuing to feed a budding dynasty that doesn’t need any help.

But the Clippers still have talent, and a few years ago it was the Houston Rockets who showed up in LA when the Clippers were struggling and handed them a win that jumpstarted (at least for a little while) the Kawhi-Paul George-James Harden triumvirate.

Houston is coming off a disappointing blowout loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Obviously, Alperen Sengun missing the game with an illness and Steven Adams being unavailable due to a back-t0-back factor in, but Houston still had the talent to be in that game. Nevertheless, the basketball gods and schedule makers have forced them to wait four days between games thanks to the NBA Cup. Now Houston will try to get the bad taste of Dallas out of their mouths against the Clippers.

Tip-off​

7pm CT

How To Watch​

Space City Home Network

Injury Report​

Rockets​

Tari Eason: OUT (leg)

Dorian Finney-Smith: OUT (ankle)

Clippers​

Derrick Jones Jr.: OUT

Jordan Miller: GTD

The Line (as of this post)​

HOU -9.5

Check here for updates

Looking ahead because we can​

Monday night on the road against the Denver Nuggets

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...-rockets-vs-los-angeles-clippers-game-preview

 

[Houston Rockets]

Rockets biggest lineup is coming up short

It’s all about finding an edge.

That’s been the Rockets’ modus operandi for a long time. There is seemingly an organizational impetus to identify a statistical area and lean (almost) absurdly hard into it.

Teams are shooting more threes? Cool. We’re going to shoot way more threes. We’re going to shoot so many threes that we’re widely accused of ruining basketball.

What’s that? We’ve missed 26 in a row? Cool:

Let’s shoot another.

That didn’t work? Well, there’s this concept called “tanking”. Unfortunately (for us), the lottery odds have been flattened. You can’t just tank one season and land a generational player anymore, unless you’re the Spurs, who have a direct line to Fortuna. For us regular shmucks, tanking will take multiple seasons. So let’s tank for multiple seasons. We’ll tank so hard that we’re widely accused of ruining basketball.

We love being widely accused of ruining basketball.

The tank is over? Cool! Offensive rebounds. We’re going to do whatever needs to be done to utterly dominate the offensive glass. We’re going to play twin big lineups, even if they went out of fashion with the videocassette recorder.

Not of which is meant to be a critique. All of these strategies have been defensible. The team’s newfound emphasis on offensive rebounding has yielded results:

But the lineup designed to emphasize it the most has been subpar.

Rockets big lineup is a net neutral​

Per CleaningTheGlass, Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun, and Steven Adams are precisely 0.0 when they share the floor.

Ah, good old 0.0. Not too high, not too low. It’s a sweet spot if your metric is, say, mental well-being. In basketball, it’s what we call “mediocre”.

Specifically, it lands in the 41st percentile. The lineup’s 48.8% Offensive Rebounding percentage predictably lands in the 99th percentile, but its 45.9 Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%) lands in the first. The very first percentile.

Thought experiment: Assemble five seven-footers. Maybe one of them is eight-feet tall – there’s your big. None of them has played basketball before (a puzzling decision), but each has NBA-level strength. Spent some time teaching them to rebound and put them on an NBA court. What would happen?

They’d probably land in the 99th percentile in offensive rebounds, and the 1st percentile in eFG%, right?

Maybe not. Here’s the point: Securing extra possessions doesn’t count for much if you can’t put the ball in the basket.

Should the Rockets abandon the twin towers?

Rockets need to keep tinkering​

Take Durant and Smith Jr. out of that lineup and add Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason, and the Rockets are +54.6. That’s fantastic, but that lineup has played just 46 possessions compared to the 136 the prior group has played together.

That’s low volume, but it is intriguing. If nothing else, it’s evidence that the double big lineups have a place. By replacing Smith Jr. with Eason, the Rockets are (unfathomably) leaning even further into offensive rebounding, although the 30.0% Offensive Rebounding Percentage doesn’t tell that story. Let’s chalk that up to sample size noise.

Macro lens: The Rockets’ 40.8% Offensive Rebounding Percentage ranks first in the NBA by a landslide. Whether they’re playing double bigs or not, they’ve established their “edge”. However they go about dominating the glass, it’s something they should continue doing.

Perhaps it’s just not viable to run Thompson at the point with the two bigs in the frontcourt. Sengun’s three-point shooting has been a revelation this year, but a Karl-Anthony Towns he ain’t. Sengun is still most effective in the paint, which is the only area Thompson and Adams can do much of anything in.

That seems to mitigate any edge the Rockets gain from that lineup.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...hort-alperen-sengun-steven-adams-kevin-durant

 

[Houston Rockets]

Rockets Scrounge Out Win Over Clippers 115-113

The Los Angeles Clippers aren’t a young team. The ages of their starting lineup tonight were – 36, 31, 34, 28, 28. The key bench players are considerably older. They hadn’t played basketball since Saturday the 6th. The Rockets last played Monday. The rest seemed to make the Rockets sluggish and careless, while it appeared to put a real spring into the step of James Harden and Kawhi Leonard.

Aside from the Rockets turning over the ball in unproductive* ways for much of the night, and being unable to assemble coherent offense for more than four minutes at a time, this was really a game of defensive strategy. I’d suggest we actually saw the good Clippers team that so many pundits predicted tonight. They were well rested, Kawhi was playing and not off planting trees or something, so this was basically an ideal unit for LAC, minus a couple of injuries (and the Rockets had their own).

Each team rolled out a defensive strategy to stymie the other. I’d argue they both worked out fairly well.

The Rockets choose to help very aggressively on Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. This lead to a huge night from spring chicken (28) Ivica Zubac who almost didn’t miss – 13/14 shooting, 7-11 from the line, for 32 highly efficient points. It lead to open three from Kris Dunn that he made at a decent rate. It did not lead to offensive explosions from Leonard and Harden. Leonard scored 24, but on 9-24 shooting. Harden notched 22pts on 7-18, and got worse as the game wore on. He had 7 assists, but also 4 turnovers as the Rockets attacked his dribble fairly often. AK (of preview fame) pointed out that Harden still hasn’t broken 30pts against the Rockets.

The Clippers on the other hand choose to send help from everywhere onto Kevin Durant, and also help to whomever was trying to initiate from the top of the three point line. The had the effect of slowing down both Durant, Sengun, and anyone else who wanted to drive or initiate from the top of the arc. They also used the old tried and true “Pack the paint, see if they can shoot.” In general, for most of the night, the Rockets couldn’t. The most open “kicks” on drive and kick were often not the shooter you’d want. Amen Thompson had a good game, but was 0-3 on wide open corner threes. He’d have been 8-9 with no threes, as he was dunking and doing “Amen Things” like hanging in midair, changing his shot, other times.

I’ve been critical of Thompson’s point guarding in other games. Not tonight. He was excellent in that regard, notching 8 assists to 1 turnover, and 9 rbs.

Sengun was the difference late, in particular a driving 360 degree spin and flip at the basket over Zubac, when Sengun seemed annoyed at what amounted to constant contact from Zubac on all Sengun attempts, pretty much. Alpie was the Rockets high scorer with 22 points on 9-22 shooting, and also 0-3 from three point range.

Kevin Durant, doubled, even triple, teamed all night had a rough outing, and missed shots you’d expect him to make. He was 5-14 with 5 turnovers, but most of the bad was in the first half, and most of the good in the second. How he only shot 3 FTs tonight is something only Mark Lindsay knows.

(To say this wasn’t quite the sort of refereeing effort that should send a referee to the Finals, would be a kindness to Mark Lindsay who called a painful, baffling, inconsistent game.)

Jabari Smith fouled out, and somehow neither Kris Dunn nor Ivica Zubac did. He did grab a lot of boards, and when wasn’t reverting to ducking out of shooting over opponents into bad drives, he played very well. His handle is much improved, but not improved enough to dribble around Kawhi Leonard.

The Rockets shooting was off, but eventually climbed to 35% from three after being in the low to mid 20s much of the game. Reed Sheppard continues to make threes at a rate that suggests more shots, but more shots have not appeared. This looked like a good game from Aaron Holiday, and in some ways it was, but there were also stretches where he single handedly shut off all possibility of good offense. The return of Tari Eason might hopefully mean a bit less of Aaron Holiday, who is very much overstretched in the role of primary initiator/scorer which he is sometimes handed. The Clippers targeted both Holiday and Sheppard on screens, but got the better of Holiday more often. Sheppard’s one real defensive gamble was one I approved of – an attempt to steal a floated pass that would have lead to an easy layup.

This game was close, but in the end, despite seemingly endless stoppages, timeouts and challenges in the last minute of the game, the Rockets eked it out.

Tonight marked the end of playback.tv and the Houston Rockets. Goodbye Playback, you were great while you lasted.

• I’d argue there ARE productive turnovers – basically attacks and passes that seemed like good ideas but were unlucky for some reason. Dribbling off your foot, or getting stripped of the ball driving into two defenders, then turning away, right into the hands of a trapping defensive helper, over and over, is not a productive turnover.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rockets-analysis/37198/rockets-scrouge-out-win-over-clippers-115-113

 

[Houston Rockets]

Clippy Visits Houston

He’s back! Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Clippers​

Friday, December 11, 2025​

Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

TV: Space City Home Network

Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790

Online: Rockets App

Gametime: 7:00 PM CST

Probable Starting Lineups​

Rockets: A. Thompson, Josh Okogie, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun

Clippers: James “The System” Harden, Kris “He’s” Dunn, Kawhi “The Extortionist” Leonard, John “Vodka” Collins, Ivica “I Want To See The” Zubac

The Clippers are nearly at full strength. The Rockets are of course missing the usual suspects, Tari Eason, Definitely Fictional Signing, and FVV

It’s Farewell to Playback tonight, so join us at playback.tv/nbalatenet to watch the Rockets, say goodbye, and talk about what, if anything, comes next.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rockets-scores-results/37194/37194

 

[Houston Rockets]

Three Rockets rank in ESPN’s top 25 players under 25

Every season, ESPN.com puts out an article ranking the best 25 players who are under 25 years old. To nobody’s surprise for the second consecutive year, Spur’s player Victor Wembenyama ranks number one, but what is more interesting is that the Rockets have three players of their own on the list: center Alperen Sengun, guard-forward Amen Thompson, and point guard Reed Sheppard.

Alperen Sengun #5​

After rising up 10 spots from last year’s ranking, one may argue that Sengun is the most promising player on this list, aside from Wembanyama. Sengun’s playmaking and better efficiency from deep have been key factors, even if his points per game went from 19.1 to 23.0. He is shooting 36.4% from outside the arc and averaging a career-high 7.0 assists (up from 4.9).

“Sengun needs to improve his midrange consistency in order to advance. Sengun’s shooting percentage is below 40% from 10 feet out to just inside the 3-point line. In terms of shooting % within four feet of the hoop, he is likewise in the lowest half among big men,” says Marks from ESPN

Amen Thompson #6​

Amen Thompson rose from spot #22 all the way to spot #6. As an exceptional two-way player, Thompson is improving. He frequently takes on the most difficult perimeter assignment while applying a ton of pressure in the paint and creating chances for teammates. His free-throw percentage has increased to 81%, up more than 12% from the previous season, and he has handled greater usage thus far with Fred VanVleet out.

“Thompson needs to improve his long-range shooting (22% for his career) to advance. Although he hasn’t yet shown any noteworthy outcomes, Thompson has been more comfortable letting it fly this season. To reach his full potential, he still needs to work on his jumper, which will help him keep defenders from sagging off him and free up space for teammates when he’s off the ball. His shooting has long been a developmental focus, but his speed and size (6-7, 200) allow him to get into the paint nevertheless,” says Woo from ESPN.

Reed Sheppard #25​

Reed had the biggest jump, as last season he was not on the ESPN list at all. Sheppard spent the entirety of the previous season on the sidelines of coach Ime Udoka’s rotation after being selected No. 3 by a team that ended up hosting a first-round playoff series. However, Sheppard has been thrown into a major role in his second season due to the trade of Jalen Green and the unlucky ACL tear suffered by Fred VanVleet. And after a rough start, he has rapidly improved, becoming one of the league’s top high-volume 3-point shooters and a valuable complement to Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Alperen Sengun.

Sheppard must continue to gain confidence as a playmaker and ball handler and strengthen his defense if he is to advance. Sheppard’s defensive playmaking and scoring prowess in college made him an analytical star. Even though the 6-foot-2 guard will never be Gary Payton, if he can at least become a guy that teams can’t consistently pick on, it will significantly increase his ceiling when combined with his potent offensive ability,” Bontemps from ESPN says

It is clear that Houston has an outstanding young core because in additon to Thompson, Sengun, and Sheppard, they also have Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr. who weren’t mentioned.

Houston takes on Denver on Monday to begin a six-game road trip. You can watch the game on Space City Home Network or NBA League Pass. As always, be on the lookout for pre- and post-game content here at the Dreamshake.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...layers-under-25-alperen-sengfun-amen-thompson

 

[Houston Rockets]

SB Nation Reacts results: Who has been the most valuable Rockets player?

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Rockets fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

This week, we asked you to select a Rockets MVP. There’s been a lot of good performances for the team so far as they stand at 16-6, but the best two players on the year are no doubt Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant.

Sengun is averaging career-highs in multiple categories, including 23.0 points, 7 assists, 1.5 steals, 1 block, and 36.4 percent from deep. He’s also adding 9.4 boards 49.9 percent shooting from the field.

Durant has averaged 24.8 point this season. He’s been a catalyst for Houston’s offense to take the next step into elite. He’s also averaging 4.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1 steal, 49.9 percent from the field, and 39.6 percent from deep.

Which one did Rockets fans pick as their MVP?

So a full two-thirds of voters are going with Sengun. It’s a vote that I agree with. While Durant’s averages look impressive, going in the context of who Durant is, he’s averaging his fewest points per game since his rookie season. It’s his worst shooting percentage since 2012. Sengun, on the other hand, is on the ascent. The 23-year-old still has several years to go before he’s even in his athletic prime. Sengun it is.

Thanks for voting. We’ll be back soon with more Reacts.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...on-rockets-player-alperen-sengun-kevin-durant

 

[Houston Rockets]

Houston Rockets vs. Denver Nuggets game preview

The Houston Rockets got absolutely hosed by the NBA Cup makeup game schedule.

Or at least, they didn’t make out like gangbusters like the Dallas Mavericks did. The Rockets got the Clippers (who, when their old bodies are given several days off, play much better than normal) and the Denver Nuggets (who are just awesome all the time) on the road in altitude.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks got the Nets for what will be a third time this season and the Jazz. Some teams get all the luck.

Obviously, the key matchup tonight will be Nikola Jokic against Alperen Sengun. In their matchup in Houston, Sengun seemed to try to hard to make things happen and was poor for most of the night. It felt like Jokic wasn’t incredible, but he finished with 34/10/9 so I guess not allowing a triple double to the dude is a success? Jamal Murray cooked Houston as usual, as did Tim Hardaway Jr. off the bench (though I guess 5/11 from the field isn’t up to his standard “eviscerates Houston by making every shot” approach). Spencer Jones also came off the bench to provide fouls and a key three-pointer in the game.

Tip-off​

8:30pm CT

How To Watch​

Space City Home Network and Peacock

Injury Report​

Rockets​

Tari Eason: GTD (leg)

Dorian Finney-Smith: OUT (ankle)

Nuggets​

Aaron Gordon: OUT

Christian Braun: OUT

Julian Strawther: GTD

The Line (as of this post)​

DEN -1.5

Check here for updates

Looking ahead because we can​

Thursday night on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...ouston-rockets-vs-denver-nuggets-game-preview

 

[Houston Rockets]

Why David Fizdale’s analysis of Rockets Amen Thompson is misleading

Over the weekend, former Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale sought to give Houston Rockets two-way standout Amen Thompson his flowers.

Understandably so, as Thompson hasn’t been necessarily having a consistent season. Up-and-down would be the best way to coin it.

It’s not entirely on him. The point guard experiment has been….well….an experiment.

And experience.

Houston could clearly use a viable point guard. Thompson is a makeshift point guard by force.

Having court vision doesn’t make you a facilitator. At least not a primary one.

Which is why we continue to see speculation that the Rockets will add a legitimate point guard.

(Their options are limited, though).

Fizdale thinks such a move would be unwise, as Thompson is a “beast” of a point guard, as he put it on NBA TV’s The Association.

Fizdale said even more.

“They’ve got a beast of one (a point guard). What are we talking about? Look at what the guy is doing. He is running the team like he’s been doing it for a while. Which he has, by the way. I keep telling everybody that he did in high school, and he came from OTE (Overtime Elite). He did it there.”

Let’s first note the difference in competition between the NBA and OTE.

Anyone who has watched the Rockets this season has noticed that Thompson is best suited off-ball. He’s at his best when cutting to the basket and slashing.

Not standing at the top of the key or behind the 3-point line.

Inverted pick-and-roll actions, which we’ve seen the Rockets do more recently, using Thompson as a screener.

In Fizdale’s assessment of how great of a point guard Thompson is, he contradicted himself a bit, and explained the best way to use Thompson (which is off-ball).

“The beauty of what they do in the halfcourt is they give the ball to KD to handle, or (Alperen) Sengun to handle, and they put him (Thompson) on the baseline. And every time you trap one of those guys, they hit that short roll, and he’s at the rim.”

Not exactly how a traditional point guard is used.

But again, a correct assessment.

In general, Thompson is a two-way beast, when used correctly. But as a point guard, he’s a work in progress.

Which is also okay to say.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...f-houston-rockets-amen-thompson-is-misleading

 

[Houston Rockets]

Rockets Roll Into Denver To Face Nuggets (Part 1)

Rockets Go To Denver For The First Time This WeekMandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Houston Rockets vs Denver Nuggets​

Moday, December 15, 2025​

Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

TV: Space City Home Network

Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790

Online: Rockets App

Gametime: 7:00 PM CST

Probable Starting Lineups​

Rockets: A. Thompson, Josh Okogie, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun

Nuglets: Jamal Murry, Cam Johnson, Spencer Jones, Peyton Watson, Nikola Jokic

The Rockets are in Denver again. And thanks to The Magic of The Cup, they will be in Denver again, Saturday. Three homes games for Denver against Houston so far feels excessive.

Tari Eason remains out for the Rockets. Aaron Gordon and Christian Von Braun are out for the Nuggies.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...ckets-roll-into-denver-to-face-nuggets-part-1

 

[Houston Rockets]

VOTE: Which Rockets player is most likely to be traded?

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Rockets fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Well, December is here. It’s coming into NBA trade season. The deadline is February 5, so we’re already less than two months away it. The Rockets are mostly playing well, sitting in the fifth spot out west with a 16-7 record. They’re not perfect, however. A true point guard is still a huge need. They also seem to be in a perpetual need for shooting. That might change when Dorian Finney-Smith and Tari Eason return, but the team certainly needs a little more long-range action to make them as flexible as possible when the postseason matchups arrive.

Houston has several pieces to offer up in a potential deal. They also have plenty of draft picks to offer if it comes to that, but for now, we’re focusing just on players.

The Rockets have two expiring contracts in Tari Eason and Fred VanVleet. Eason reportedly turned down a big extension offer from the Rockets to instead bet on himself, only to get injured yet again, missing significant time for the third time in four seasons. He seems like a logical trade option on the surface with his $5.7 million cap number. What are the potential options at that salary level, however? The Rockets are up against the first apron, so they can’t take on any salary. Is there a game changer available at that price level? Do other teams trust Eason to stay healthy?

VanVleet has an expiring $25 million contract. But he also essentially has a no-trade clause in his deal. That doesn’t mean a deal is impossible, just that Fred would have to sign off. That number buys you a much better player, but it would have to be somewhere Fred wanst to go.

Alperen Sengun has been named as a potential trade piece for Giannis Antetokounmpo. I wouldn’t make that deal if I’m Rafael Stone, but the NBA is a superstar league, and Giannis is certainly one of those. Stranger things have definitely happened, and if Stone wants to go all-in over the next two, three seasons, all bets are off.

Reed Sheppard is still on his rookie-scale deal, and although he’s been looking good lately and the Rockets are really high on him, if a legit true point guard becomes available, the Rockets might have to take a swing.

Aaron Holiday is on a vet minimum, and Ime Udoka no doubt likes him as part of the “stay-ready” crew, but if they could get their hands on a floor-setter, he could be as good as gone, if even as salary filler.

Jabari Smith Jr. has been named a potential trade piece in the past. He just signed an extension, so he’s going to be hard to deal until the 2026 season. Not undoable, however. Just hard.

Out of this group, who’s most likely to go?

Cast your vote and tell us in the comments!

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...-traded-tari-eason-reed-sheppard-fredvanvleet

 

[Houston Rockets]

A closer look at Rockets season reveals something troubling

Though the Rockets are currently fifth in the Western Conference, they are still considered by most to be true title contenders, and rightfully so. They have the third-highest offensive rating in the NBA and the fifth-highest defensive rating. That is an excellent formula for success. Knowing how stacked the west is, it’s no surprise that one bad week can be the difference between being in the top three and being on the bubble for a play-in tournament.

The Rockets are nine games over .500, Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant are both having an All-Star caliber season, and the emergence of Reed Sheppard has been a more than welcome sight to Rockets fans. With all those things being the case, something just feels a little bit off, right? Why on earth can’t the Rockets seem to win a game against the “elite” teams in the league?

It’s only fair to point out that for all teams other than the OKC Thunder, it’s too early to know who will truly be elite by season’s end. That being said, as we approach Christmas, traditionally the designated time that the NBA season “truly begins” and the picture is being formed. What has been revealed so far is that the Houston Rockets are really good, but they are not great… not yet.

The Rockets are just 9-6 against Western Conference teams and 7-1 against the East, but it’s deeper than that. ClutchFans recently pointed out that when you peel back the layers of the Rockets 16-7 record, what you find is the Rockets win the games they are supposed to. 10-2 against teams under .500, 6-0 vs teams between .500 and .600 win percentage. However, the Rockets are 0-5 in games against teams with a .600 winning percentage.

Rockets record this season based on their opponent's winning percentage:

vs. Teams Under .500: 10-2 (both losses the 2nd game of a back-to-back)

vs. Teams Between .500 and .600: 6-0

vs. Teams .600 or better: 0-5

— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) December 16, 2025

It’s been frustrating as a fan and as someone who covers the team to see. Those five losses came at the hands of the OKC Thunder, Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, and the Denver Nuggets twice. For those of us who watched those games, it cannot be said that the Rockets are not on par with those teams when it comes to talent depth. The largest deficit in those five losses was 11 points to the Spurs. The margins have been tiny. What has been the difference in these games?

The Rockets late-game execution in those games has been abysmal. Silly fouls, careless turnovers, and in some cases, what appears to have been downright poor effort. In the NBA Cup losses to San Antonio and Denver, the Rockets got beaten at their own game on the offensive boards in the fourth quarter. In the season opener against the Thunder, missed free throws down the stretch made the difference. In the Pistons game, it was bad offensive spacing and turnovers, and as much as Rockets fans would love to blame the referees for the most recent Denver loss, and they were bad, the Rockets had opportunities to win that game as well if they would have executed better down the stretch offensively and defensively.

These issues begin and end with Alperen Sengun. While he boasts great clutch shooting percentages, in these critical games against the best in the west, he has had bad moments. Statistically, Alperen Sengun was a monster against the Nuggets on Monday… until you realize his 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists were good enough for the worst plus/minus (-6) of every player on the court that day. His four fouls in the fourth quarter were legit fouls, and they were lazy and silly fouls. Kevin Durant can’t be absolved from blame. While he has also made big shots in these games, but he has also made huge turnovers and missed a couple of free-throws that would have made the difference.

The good news is all of this is fixable. It just needs to get fixed. The Rockets will need to start winning some of these games. When the dust settles, all of the top Western Conference teams are going to be within a few games one another and head-to-head matches will surely factor in. Late game execution is something that comes with experience, and the positive is the Rockets have plenty of film on what not to do. The question is, can they figure it out with the players on the roster, or do they need help?

Count this writer as one who is optimistic that this team can get it together. Why am I optimistic? Well for one, I believe Ime Udoka will demand it. In addition to that, I know chemistry takes time, and the Rockets still have much to figure out. They haven’t even begun to have to work in the likes of a healthy Tari Eason or Dorian Finney-Smith. Lastly, I guess in reality I am a chronic optimist. I refuse to write this team off because of an early season trend of losing close games to really good teams and I don’t think you should either. It could be worse. We have seen worse. I think we should take a deep breath and reconvene at the All-Star Break, my beloved TDS faithful. Or… perhaps at the trade deadline?

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...-sengun-amen-thompson-reed-sheppard-ime-udoka