Cavaliers vs. Rockets Takeaways: Point Guard Shortage Leads To Blowout Loss In Houston
HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets (11-38) sustained one of their worst losses of the season in a 113-95 defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers (30-20) Thursday night inside the Toyota Center. Here are three takeaways from their latest loss.
Point guard shortage leads to disjointed play:
Coach Stephen Silas said he was up all night trying to figure out his starters. Silas knew he would be without Kevin Porter Jr. for the eighth consecutive game. But the Rockets became more limited, given that Eric Gordon and Jae'Sean Tate would be out against the Cavaliers.
The lack of a genuine floor general led to the Rockets committing 22 turnovers.
"This was a little different because we did not have ball handling on the floor," Silas said. "They were blitzing Jalen [Green], and they were double-teaming Alperen [Sengun]. They are one of the best defensive teams in the league. The fact that they forced 22 turnovers was not surprising."
Silas said there was a "lack of continuity" without a true point guard on the floor — especially coming off a back-to-back night. And their absences made for the Rockets' offense to become disjointed.
Houston ruled Tate out due to right ankle management, while Porter remained sidelined due to a left foot contusion.
Gordon was a game-day scratch due to right knee soreness. And according to Silas, Gordon's knee had been giving him problems over the previous few games.
Cavaliers two-man game between Darius Darland and Evan Mobley:
Cavaliers' All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell sat out against the Rockets due to a strained groin. But Cleveland put Houston away early behind the combination of Darius Garland and Evan Mobley.
The duo scored a combined 47 points.
The absence of Gordon, Porter and Tate also hurt the Rockets on the defensive end. They are arguably Houston's best perimeter defenders. Without the services of the trio on defense, Garland took advantage of their absences. He scored a game-high 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting and nine assists.
Mobley gave the Rockets' frontcourt problems with his play on both ends. He finished with a double-double of 21 points (6-of-17 FG, 9-of-10 FT), 10 rebounds and two blocks.
"We were disjointed on the defensive end as well," Silas said. "They were able to get downhill to finish at the rim. If they missed, guys like [Jarrett] Allen and Mobley were able to get the offensive rebounds."
Tari Eason shines off the bench:
Silas described Tari Eason as a ball of energy during his two-game start in place of an injured Jabari Smith Jr. And against the Cavaliers, Eason validated Silas' description.
"He plays hard and gives us the same thing every game," Silas said. "He can go get the offensive rebounds and get out in transition. On the defensive end, he is very versatile. His game at LSU is similar to how he can play as a role player — and it is important."
He scored a team-high 18 points (8-of-13 FG) off the bench and a game-high 11 rebounds, which marked his second career double-double. Eason provided the Rockets with a major lift off the bench and appeared to be the only player who played with effort each minute he was on the court.
Best performance:
Eason was by far Houston's best player. But next to the LSU prospect, Jabari Smith Jr. play was another positive.
He bounced back when compared to his performance 24 hours earlier against the Washington Wizards. Silas felt he looked much better on both ends after his return from an ankle injury.
He was one of three players who scored 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting. He also recorded five rebounds and two blocks.
Worst performance:
Consistency continues to be a problem for Jalen Green. Three nights after he recorded a career-high of 42 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Green scored a season-low six points on 2-of-9 shooting, 2-of-6 from behind the arc.
Silas revealed that Green did get kneed in the calf during the first quarter and felt the hit hampered his on-court movement.
In the two games that followed, Green has since averaged 12.5 points on 28.6 percent shooting from the field.
Final Words:
"Not having a true point guard on the floor makes it hard. I expected some disjointed play." — Stephen Silas.
You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24
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