Thunder vs. Rockets Takeaways: Far From Building Winning Habits
HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets (13-40) recorded their most embarrassing defeat of the season in a 153-121 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Here are three takeaways.
A season low for the Rockets:
With a record of 13-40, the Rockets have had several low moments throughout the season. But none as bad as what took place inside the Paycom Center Saturday night.
The 32-point loss to the Thunder marked their largest defeat of the season. Oklahoma City jumped on Houston from the opening tip, and the Rockets had no fight in their performance at any point of the night.
"There was a lot stacked up against us, but you have to step up," coach Stephen Silas said. "In these kinds of situations, you cannot succumb to it. We've been talking about building winning habits, and this was not one of them."
No Eric Gordon and Jae'Sean Tate led to a big night for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander:
The absences of Eric Gordon and Jae'Sean Tate had a major impact on the Rockets in Oklahoma City. Both players were out due to injury management. They looked disjointed on offense without Gordon's scoring and Tate's playmaking. But the Rockets greatly missed their defensive production.
When the Rockets defeated the Thunder Wednesday night, coach Stephen Silas credited Gordon's and Tate's defense on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They limited the Thunder's All-Star guard to 24 points on an inefficient 7-of-20 shooting.
But four nights later, Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 42 points on 14-of-23 shooting in three quarters.
"We've always had a bad matchup with SGA," Silas said. "Tate did a great job on him. Gordon did a great job on him. Tonight, we did not have anyone that could stop him or help."
Jabari Smith Jr. added: "He is a great player. His speed and he is crafty. His ability to draw fouls. He is tough to defend. You just have to keep bodies on him and try to make it hard on him."
TyTy Washington Jr.'s career night:
Unfortunately, TyTy Washington Jr. wasted his best career performance on Houston's worst night of the season. He came off the bench and scored a career-high 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting.
"At the end of the day, we could not care what the score said, it was all about going out there and getting better," Washington said. "Personally, I felt I played pretty good. I got comfortable. And from there, I just had it rolling."
Silas has spoken on several occasions about players taking advantage of an opportunity due to Jalen Green's and Kevin Porter Jr.'s injuries. But Washington's play proved he deserves a consistent rotational spot moving forward.
Best performance:
Could it be any other player not named TyTy Washington? The rookie prospect from Kentucky scored a career-high in points.
Worst performance:
Jalen Green returned to the lineup after missing three games due to a calf contusion. He struggled in his return. Green finished the night with 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting. His first basket came at the 9:56 mark of the second quarter on a driving layup attempt.
Final Words:
"These are one of those games where I am pissed off. We can do better." — Stephen Silas
You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24
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