The Rockets' opponents in the last two games were the Eastern Conference powerhouses Eagles and Cavaliers, and as a result, the Rockets defeated their opponents in the previous game with the bravery of DJ Augustine and Gordon, and the Rockets missed many people in the second game, and finally Silas's team lost to the Cavaliers. The Rockets' multiple absences in two games are one reason for the poor record, and the Rockets' double shooter Brooks + Matthews is far less than during the Rockets' seven-game winning streak not long ago.
In seven consecutive wins, Matthews averaged 16 points per game and shot more than 40 percent from three points, and in the last two games, although Matthews has been a starting point guard or small forward, his stats have been greatly reduced than before! In the game against the Eagles, Matthews played 27 minutes, 0 of 4 from three-point range, and only had 5 points, 8 rebounds and 1 assist; in the game against the Cavaliers, Matthews' three-pointers continued to be abnormal, and he had only 1 point, 3 rebounds and 1 assist on 6-of-6 three-pointers.
Brooks' situation is not much better, the Hawks 6 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists, 7 of 7 three-pointers; the Cavaliers Brooks 6 of 6 three-pointers, 3 points, 3 assists and 1 rebound, is only slightly better than Matthews. So what caused the Rockets' two "sharpshooters" to suddenly become unable to find the shooting target and suddenly muted? Rockets assistant coach Lucas Sr. gave us a clear answer, saying that Matthews and Brooks were targeted by each other's defensive focus.
Their names appeared in the report of the opposing scout. They don't have an empty shot, and if Gordon Wood isn't there, they can't score, and the Rockets' scoring will be very struggling. Coach John Lucas said. It's already clear that Matthews and Brooks have performed heroically in a 7-game winning streak, and even played All-Star-level performances and stats in some games, the main reason is that the other side does not pay much attention to role players like them and can even be said to be the Rockets' "marginal players".
Because Matthews and Brooks are different from Gordon, Green, and Porter Jr., they have no presence in the NBA at all, and if it weren't for the Rockets signing them, no one would have noticed these two marginal people who had played in the development league for a long time. It is precisely because the opponent's "lack of attention" and the lack of defensive strength against them that the duo have a super god play, and now as the old Lucas said, the Cavaliers' careful scouts have carefully studied the Rockets' winning methods, focusing on "taking care" of Matthews and Brooks, resulting in the true level of these two people being exposed.
But then again, due to the injuries of Gordon and Porter Jr., no one on the Rockets could send high-quality passes to the double shooters, and in the absence of these core players, the opposing team's defensive focus naturally fell on Brooks and Matthews. After the Rockets' core returns, it is believed that the performance of the double shooters will rebound. But it was also the poor performance in the two games that made Matthews' big contract basically fail, because the Rockets could not send a big contract to a unstable shooter like Matthews, but it was no problem to turn his two-way contract into a formal contract.
After Porter Jr., Gordon and Jaylen Green returned to the team, brooks and Matthews' most suitable position is still the bench, so that the two of them can fight against the opponent's relatively weak defensive bench lineup, and can better play the advantage of two shooters and three points, I believe that the rockets' two shooters have been mentally prepared.