Heading into Wednesday’s match with the Golden State Warriors, the Rockets knew they would be without Kevin Durant for the second consecutive game due to personal reasons and Steven Adams would be out as well. So, Reed Sheppard was inserted into the starting lineup for the second consecutive game and Clint Capela would see extended minutes.
Early on, shot making was not at a premium for the Rockets. they shot just 9-of-28 in the first quarter. The Warriors made five three-pointers on the quarter,
but were not exactly shooting the nets down either, and thanks to the Rockets offensive rebounding they were able to keep the game close with only a three-point deficit after the first quarter.
The Rockets shot 12-of-24 in the second quarter, but none of those shots came from three-point territory. Meanwhile, they allowed the Warriors to shoot 12-of-23 in the quarter including 5-of-11 from the arc, causing the halftime deficit to hit 12 points. The Rockets did themselves no favors at the free-throw stripe either, and it began to look as if they were once again saving their worst efforts for an NBA Cup game.
The Rockets would get to be down by as many as 14, but the kept plugging away. Defense and offensive rebounding were the formula. With Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson struggling from the field it would be up to Reed Sheppard to provide the offense and that’s just what he did. With a career-high 31 points to go along with 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks and a steal, Sheppard would be the spark the team needed to get back in the game.
On a night where the Rockets shot 39.4 percent from the field, 28.2 percent from three, and missed 9 free-throws it was again defense and offensive rebounding that would make the difference for the Rockets. The Warriors themselves only shot 42.7 percent from the field including 27.9 percent from three, and the Rockets out rebounded them 66 to 54, with the offensive rebounding edge favoring the Rockets 25-13.
The Rockets dominated the third quarter 27-17 to pull within one-point, then dropped a 30-piece in the fourth quarter with big shots coming from Sheppard, Thompson, and Alperen Sengun. All in all, it was a great team victory on the road, once again without Kevin Durant. Amen only had 10 points but grabbed 14 rebounds and made a huge bucket late in the fourth off a great pass from Reed Sheppard where Amen caught the ball in mid-air and banked it in off the glass in one motion. Sengun finished the night with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Jabari chipped in with 15 points, Aaron Holiday had 14 points, and Clint Capela grabbed 12 rebounds.
Despite the win, the Rockets will unfortunately not be advancing to the knockout round of the NBA Cup due to Memphis defeating the Pelicans. Still, the Rockets get a quality win against the team that eliminated them form the playoffs last season and they did it without their best scorer. Reed Sheppard continues to make huge strides in his game and overall confidence. The Rockets win their third game of the season after trailing by at least 14 points, which shows their resilience regardless of who is on the floor. The Rockets will get to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with their families before heading out to Utah for the season’s first back-to-back, both games against the Jazz on the road. We will have all the coverage you need all season right here on TDS! Happy Thanksgiving and GO ROCKETS!
