So much had changed since James Harden returned to Toyota Center and the eight players left still playing for the Rockets were barely an afterthought to the occasion.
The Rockets’ roster had been transformed. Just two players who competed that night did so against Harden and the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. The Rockets’ future had been shifted, with many of their hopes put in the hands of Kevin Porter Jr., who had to step in as starting point guard with John Wall out.
Most all, the Rockets had a chance, a seemingly good one, to win in the rematch — something that never seemed possible when they met in February.
Yet, the more things change, the more the Rockets still collapse with a close game on the line. Another fourth-quarter fade sent them to a 120-108 loss to the Nets at the Barclays Center in New York with the familiar pattern impossible to overcome.
“I told the team this after the game, you were tight — meaning we were tied together — for 40 minutes of the game and that last eight minutes or so … we weren’t as tight,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. “In the fourth quarter, that’s when you become even closer and more tied together and do all of the things that you need to do to win a game down the stretch.
“You see the veteran savvy of their guys in the fourth quarter compared to our group, who is younger, and we’re learning. That’s two fourth quarters in a row we struggled. We got to make sure we’re coming together in the fourth quarter and really have that attention to detail we had throughout the game.”
The Rockets (13-34), who lost their second in a row, led by six with 7½ minutes remaining before needing more than four minutes to score again and rarely getting stops against a Nets team showing what fourth-quarter execution looks like.
Even after the Rockets predictably went cold in the third quarter, making 1 of 10 3-pointers, they recovered enough to take a 101-95 after D.J. Augustin sank a pair of 3s and set up Avery Bradley for a layup. It was stretch that offered more reminders of how much they had changed since playing the Nets (33-15) in Houston in the final game before the All-Star break.
There was even an opportunity to pull off the upset, with Harden leaving the game in the third with tightness in his right hamstring after 27 minutes in which he scored 17 points with eight rebounds and six assists.
The Rockets, however, missed their next seven shots after taking their six-point lead. The Nets made 61.9 percent of their shots in the fourth, including 5 of 8 3-pointers.
While Kyrie Irving was brilliant throughout, finishing with a game-high 31 points and season-best 12 assists, Joe Harris scored 14 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter. Harris made more 3-pointers in the second half (five) than the entire Rockets team.
Still, the win was there for the taking.
“We need to learn how to close,” Silas said.
That is made more difficult by the Rockets’ still shaky 3-point shooting and the ongoing issues with keeping a lineup together.
They had gotten off to a fast start with Danuel House Jr. scoring nine points in the first four minutes and the Rockets taking their early lead to as much as 18. Porter finished with 14 points in the first half and the Rockets led 68-57.
Porter, however, scored just six points and the Rockets just 40 second-half points. After making 6 of 8 3-pointers to start the game, Houston made 7 of 32 the rest of the way, including the much too late 3 that House put in on the way off the floor.
Christian Wood, who returned after missing games with a sore ankle and an illness, struggled, making 4 of 12 shots and hitting just 1 of 5 from deep. Wood scored two points in the fourth quarter.
“We’ve just got to execute better down the stretch,” said Wood, who posted 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. “I feel like the past two games, our offense got stagnant in the fourth quarter. If I want to be that franchise guy, that leader that I know I can be, I have to lead my team in the fourth. I have to be better.
“Whether it’s commanding the ball or being better on the defensive end, I feel like I played terrible in the fourth quarter. This loss is on me.”
It was, however, more attributable to the usual crunch-time issues. Even with other changes and improvements, the Rockets still cannot seem to overcome them.
Jonathan Feigen reported from Houston.
"lose" - Google News
April 01, 2021 at 09:09AM
https://ift.tt/31CZkac
Rockets fall flat late, lose to James Harden, Nets - Houston Chronicle
"lose" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3fa3ADu https://ift.tt/2VWImBB
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Rockets fall flat late, lose to James Harden, Nets - Houston Chronicle"
Post a Comment