It wasn’t pretty, and of course it couldn’t be easy, but “win” is still a much sweeter word than “loss’.
The Rockets broke their losing streak, and more importantly got off the road, which seemingly caused
small problems to snowball downhill, getting bigger as the trip went on. That’s been much discussed. But once again, playing 2/3 of a team’s games on the road at halfway through the season felt a bit extreme, and the results were as well. We’ll see what things look like with a couple of strong teams come to town and the Rockets get a back to back at home.
Finally though, though the Rockets once again could see their homely, embroidered “Center, sweet Center.” decorative hanging, and it reminded them, perhaps, that they were a good team? Their home record certain indicates it, as they’re record is now 12-2 at Toyota Center.
Though the Bulls record has them right where they seem to want to be, ready to seize a play in game against Atlanta or Miami, or even Cleveland, they’re capable of playing well, and have some talent on the team. They also have an offense that’s scoring a decent 117 points per game, while missing Josh Giddey, Kobe White, and I guess, Zach Collins, who apparently has a life threatening toe sprain. They also have the much maligned Billy Donovan as a coach. I actually think he runs good stuff on offense, but doesn’t seem to have a real passion for defense. I guess teams pick what they like.
Anyhow, the Bulls looked confident and were coming off a big win against the Mavericks. This game didn’t feature a ton of good defense, but it did feature the Return of The Rampaging Rando. Tonight’s Rando was Tre Jones, who scored a career high 34 points (enjoy that last second cheapie 3, Tre) on 11-12 shooting, and 5-6 from three as well as 7ast. No Rocket could contain Jones, including Amen Thompson. Jones was perhaps auditioning for a spot on the Rockets? They could certainly use him, though any team will take 11-12.
Another player auditioning for something tonight was JD Davison, who shockingly logged 25 minutes. They weren’t stellar, or earth shaking, but lineups with him in them were pretty effective tonight, at least to the eye test. He did notch the highest +/- on the Rockets at +14 tonight. Davison even played in a lineup with Kevin Durant AND Reed Sheppard in it, and for a while it was game changing. Davison was active, effective, and did guard things.
This is important. No team would choose to have smaller guys, if they had a 6’7” who could do the stuff just as well. That’s easier said than done, though, and so there ARE smaller (in context) guys in the NBA buzzing around, being quicker, and more sudden, more shifty, than bigger guys as a rule. There’s a reason the position, or the concept if you like, exists in the NBA.
Ime shocked me by making changes. What also changed a lot in this game was the lead, with 30+ lead changes in the contest. Fortunately though, the Rockets had the lead at the end. This was due not to getting stops, or offensive boards, but to scoring. The closing moments of the game featured two rapid, vicious dunks from Kevin Durant, and three made shots for Jabari Smith Jr, who had been in a terrible, awful, no good, slump from three point range. It seemed like when a practically unguarded three FINALLY went in (after several long, painful, games of Mr. Jabricki, the monstrous alter ego of Lil’ Durantling, Dr. Jaswishy).
Stats can tell us a lot, but humans take the shots, not algorithms, and confidence and success matter to humans, even more so, young ones. Jabari, for all of that we see from him, and moreover demand, is still…22 years old, and will be all regular season. I sometimes feel foolish saying this so often, but there are people in my life around that age, and well, I have a lot more sympathy because of it. Talent, money, practice, all that doesn’t mean that these aren’t young men carrying most of the load for the Rockets. They aren’t mutants or superheroes.
I have a lot less sympathy for guys pushing 50 who never take individual responsibility for much of anything, honestly.
Alperen Sengun looked much more himself tonight. Actions to get him easy looks would be nice, but at least he makes the difficult ones.
Kevin Durant continues to be the only guy who can stop the bleeding. He scored an unsurprising 28 points on 12-23 in an also unsurprising 40 minutes. His 3pt shot looked rushed tonight, but that unstoppable middie was working to the tune of 11-18. Why it’s NBA legal to grab and push Durant before he gets the ball continues to baffle me.
Amen Thompson had a good offensive game, despite what appeared to be a deliberate Chicago plan, headed by Jalen Smith, to clobber him at the rim. He thwarted it by going 10-10 from the free throw line, and also made his weekly three pointer tonight.
Depressingly Flawed Signing was out with Being Bad, but is expected to return soon, hopefully with all the rust and gunk sandblasted off his game. Would Chicago send the Rockets Tre Jones for him? They can use a steady wing, right?
Fan and Xiane favorite Reed Sheppard looked a lot like a guy with tremendous talent who has played 1570 NBA minutes, and is maybe following orders a little too strictly and bottling the instincts that got him to the NBA, while still showing that talent in patches. He’s often passing when he should be shooting, and then (I’m guessing) after getting instructions to let it fly after turning down the corner three pointer he’s shooting at a 55% rate this season, to overpass to a teammate waiting to possibly clean up a Reed attempt, launches an ill advised contested 3 on his next attempt when back in the game.
Like Jabari, Amen, Alpy and Tari, he’s still only young.
The Rockets couldn’t stop the much derided Bildo’s Bulls offense, but they did manage to outscore his defense
I’ll take it. And some cough medicine and try to sleep.
