Rockets vs. Cavaliers Takeaways: A One-Man Show By Jalen Green Isn't Enough
The Houston Rockets dropped their fifth consecutive game in a 108-91 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers Sunday night inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Here are three takeaways as the Rockets remain winless on their five-game road trip.
Cleveland's defense proved to be too much:
It has been hard at times for the Rockets to generate points. And against the league's best defensive team in the Cavaliers, Houston struggled to score.
The Rockets could not rely on their paint presence due to Jarrett Allen's and Evan Mobley's rim protection. The duo recorded a combined six block shots, which limited Houston to 44 points in the paint.
And due to their inability to shoot from the outside, the Rockets could not rely on their subpar 3-point shooting. They finished the game with six made triples out of 25 attempts — Jalen Green accounted for five.
"They are just a really good, well-coached defensive team," coach Stephen Silas said. "They protect the paint. They have length. Against a defensive team like this that is No. 1, you have to get out in transition and be intentional about what you are trying to get on the offensive end."
While holding their opponents to a league-best 106.7 points, the Cavaliers have registered the league's best defense with a 109.8 defensive net rating.
Jalen Green vs. Evan Mobley:
As draftmates of the 2021 NBA Draft, Jalen Green (no. 2 overall) and Evan Mobley (no. 3 overall) continues to pull the best out of each other. Jalen Green may have lost the game, but the second-year prospect may have won the individual battle.
Green scored 30 points, with 14 coming in the third quarter. Green said he did not need to rely upon attacking downhill, given his jump shot was "going tonight." Mobley's production led to a victory for the Cavaliers. He finished with 19 points (8-12 FG), seven rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
"Evan and I have been battling since high school," Green said. "He put on a show today. I put on a show today. We had a good little 2021 draft class battle."
Is Jarrett Allen the one that got away?
Since his jettison from the Brooklyn Nets as a part of the three-team trade for James Harden, Jarrett Allen has become one of the top big men in the league.
Allen has become an All-Star player while playing with the Cavaliers. His performance was another indication that not landing the University of Texas prospect may have been a mistake by general manager Rafael Stone in January 2021.
Allen had a dominating performance against the Rockets. He finished with a team-best 24 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks.
Best performance:
After finishing with 13 points during the Rockets' 37-point defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies, Jalen Green had a nice bounce-back performance 48 hours later. He continued his efficient scoring by shooting 10-for-17 shooting en route to a 30-point outing. The game also marked the 14th time this season Green scored 30 or more points.
Worst performance:
Kevin Porter Jr. had arguably his worst game of the season. In 36 minutes of play, Porter finished the game with six points on 3-for-12 shooting, four assists and three rebounds in his first game back in Cleveland since his jettison in 2021.
Final Words:
"When we’re in the halfcourt and they just pack the paint, it’s kind of hard for us. We got to get the defense moving and run more plays that shift the defense from side to side. Tonight, it was hard in the halfcourt." — Jalen Green
You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24
Want the latest in news and insider information on the Houston Rockets? Click here
Follow Inside the Rockets on Facebook here
Follow Inside the Rockets on Twitter @InsideRocketsFN
Want even more Houston Rockets news? Check out the SI.com team page here
