Rockets vs. Knicks Takeaways: Turnovers, Cold 3-Point Shooting, Transition Defense
HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets (10-26) ended 2022 with a 108-88 loss to the New York Knicks (19-18) inside the Toyota Center. Here are three takeaways from the Rockets' New Year's Eve loss Saturday night.
Turnovers become a major problem, again:
Coach Stephen Silas came into the game believing that the Rockets had turned the corner with their early season turnover struggles.
Houston had averaged 13.7 turnovers during their three-game road trip. But against the Knicks, the Rockets regressed.
"Our turnovers were decent before tonight's game, but tonight was all about the turnovers," Silas said. "We have to understand the importance of possession. When you turn the ball over that many times, you will not get up enough shots to win the game."
The Rockets committed 25 turnovers, which led to 37 additional points for the Knicks.
Decision-making, floor spacing and mental lapses are the intangibles Silas credited for Houston's inability to take care of the ball. And he also admitted that the absence of Alperen Sengun made it more difficult for the Rockets to avoid careless mistakes.
From the undiscipline of guarding Julius Randle, who finished the game with 16 free-throw attempts, to the offensive collapse the Rockets sustained following an impressive first quarter.
Silas noticed other characteristics that led to the Rockets' loss. But he kept harping on the number of turnovers Houston accumulated throughout the night.
"When you take away the turnovers, we probably win that game," Kevin Porter Jr. said. "It was a good game defensively up until half of the third quarter. And in the fourth, they ran away with it with our turnovers."
Cold shooting after a hot start:
A bulk of the Rockets' offensive struggles came due to their inability to take care of the ball. But their 3-point shooting struggles played a prominent role in Houston's third consecutive loss.
The Rockets began the night on the verge of setting a season-high in 3-point field goals made.
Houston connected on eight out of their first 12 attempts from behind the arc during the first quarter. But by the end of the final buzzer, the Rockets only made six more triples the remainder of the night while shooting 17.6 percent.
"We got the shots that we wanted — it was just one of those games with the rim," Porter said. "K.J. [Martin] had a great shot where it rolled in and out. Next time out, we are going to shoot a lot better."
Better transition defense:
Houston's improved transition defense may have been the only silver lining. Despite the Knicks recording 10 steals, the Rockets only gave up nine fast break points.
The Rockets' transition defense against the Knicks was a huge improvement after giving up an average of 24.5 fast break points in the last two games.
The Knicks came into Houston averaging 13.3 fast break points.
Silas held a 30-minute film session following their loss to the Dallas Mavericks Friday afternoon. And the Rockets did a great job applying the lessons learned.
"Their defense in transition was much better," Silas said. "We wanted them to be a half-court team. We did not want to give them any easy baskets. But it's disappointing that we turned the ball over so much."
Best Performance:
Kevin Porter Jr. has been on a tear since the Rockets' road victory against the Chicago Bulls. He came into the game averaging 25.0 points and 9.0 assists over the previous three games and continued his impressive play against the Knicks.
Porter ended the night two assists short of a triple-double. He recorded a team-best 23 points (7-of-12 FG, 4-of-8 3PT), 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Worst performance:
Jalen Green had a performance he would love to keep in 2022. He finished the game with 16 points on 4-of-12 shooting and accounted for five of Houston's 25 turnovers.
Green's play against the Knicks was a huge disappointment, given that he scored 10 points during the first quarter while connecting on three out of his first four attempts from the field, 2-of-3 shooting from behind the arc.
Final Words:
"You cannot win any NBA game turning the ball over that amount of times...I hate saying it's a young team thing. But in some ways, it is." — Stephen Silas
You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24
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