Rockets Overcome 25-Point Deficit and Late-Game Uncertainty in OT Victory over Sixers

Entering Monday night's contest against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Houston Rockets were riding a six-game winning streak and seeking a big win to continue climbing the Western Conference standings. Houston was able to get it done, earning a gritty win over the Sixers in overtime.

The Rockets rolled out a starting lineup that included Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Tari Eason and Alperen Sengun. It was a slow start for that unit, as the Sixers jumped out to an early lead, owning a 29-17 lead midway through the opening frame. Not only did Houston struggle to contain Philadelphia early on, but nobody outside of Eason could score at an efficient rate for the Rockets. He had 11 of their first 17 points, which kept Houston somewhat in striking distance in the first quarter.

At the start of the second quarter, it was a 44-28 lead for the 76ers, who were dominant from beyond the arc in the first half. Uncharacteristically poor effort -- notably on the defensive end -- continued into the second quarter, which allowed the Sixers to continue pouring on the points. At the half, Philadelphia had five players with 10 or more points, while shooting 15-of-26 (57.7%) from beyond the arc as a team. This led to a 78-57 lead for Philadelphia at the half, as the Rockets trained by 21.

It was a back-and-forth start to the second half, but the Sixers found a way to extend their lead to 25 early in the third quarter. But from that point on, it was all Rockets the rest of the frame. Houston cut the lead to 14 points by the midway point of the third quarter, then ultimately tied the game at 102 by the end of it. The trio of Brooks, Smith and Green combined for 33 points in that quarter, while the Rockets shot 9-of-14 from deep as a team. It was a 45-24 quarter for Houston, playing by far the best basketball it had to that point in the night.

But the script was flipped in the final frame, as the 76ers got hot and built a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter. Houston was able to cut the lead to five points with just under six minutes remaining in the game, but Philadelphia continued to fight back and add to its lead.

With less than two minutes left in the game, the Rockets pulled within four points, at 125-121. In what was a huge swing play, VanVleet had a 3-point attempt blocked, then turned around in transition and deployed a hard foul that resulted in a Flagrant 2 and an ejection. The Sixers hit one of the two free throws as a result of that play, then knocked down a triple with the ball back as part of the VanVleet foul. That four-point possession nearly put the game out of reach, but the Rockets found a way to make it a three-point game with less than 10 seconds remaining.

Coming out of a timeout, Houston was down 131-128 with 6.4 seconds left and a chance to send it to overtime. The Sixers fouled to send the Rockets to the line, Smith Jr. made the front end, then missed the second and Sengun tipped it in to tie the game at 131 and send it to overtime.

In overtime, Sengun scored on the opening offensive possession, which gave the Rockets their first lead of the game. From there, perimeter shooting gave Houston the advantage the rest of the day, ultimately getting the gritty overtime win.

Want to join the discussion? Like Rockets on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Rockets news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.