The New King of the North was born
Which team is the dark horse of the East? Some would say the Chicago Bulls, some would say cleveland Cavaliers, and of course, the Charlotte Hornets, but by the end of the season, it was discovered that the real dark horse of the East should be the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors have come to fifth place in the East, playing the top defensively and becoming real strong team nemesis. Probably no one expected that it would take them only one year to complete the reconstruction.
Siakam became the true king of the North, and the Raptors' rebuilding speed was breathtaking, and the most enviable should be the Houston Rockets. After James Harden left, the Rockets immediately decided to rebuild, but two seasons later, the Rockets are still the number one team in the West. The only good news is probably that both young people, Green and Porter Jr., are starting to cash in on their talents.
At one point, the Rockets led by 24 points
The young Houston Rockets showed their talent in the first quarter, Porter Jr. shot 6-of-7, 4-of-3 three-pointers, 15 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist in a single quarter, Green also had 4 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists, Tate 9 points and 1 rebound, the team exploded 36 points in a single quarter, while the Raptors, who played at home, only scored 20 points, Trent shot 1 of 6, and Siakam shot 7 of 2. After returning from the second quarter, the Rockets had a 24-point lead, Matthews and Christopher each had seven points, and Porter Jr. also had 6 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist.
The Raptors' tenacity began to manifest, Siakam shot 14 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist on 5-of-6 shooting, and under his leadership, the team successfully chased 57-66 at the end of the half, just nine points behind the Rockets. In the second half, Trent fired 10 points in a single quarter, Siakam also had 9 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists, and the Raptors once tied the score, but who could have imagined that Christopher stepped forward and scored 10 points and 1 rebound on 5-of-6 shooting, Porter Jr. also had 8 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, and the Rockets regained a 10-point lead.
After returning from the final quarter, the Rockets began to show their acting skills, the Raptors continued to narrow the point gap, Trent hit two free throws, successfully equalized the score, and then Barnes scored 4 consecutive points on the layup and dunk, directly stopping the Rockets. After the timeout returned, the Rockets clenched the score, but it was too late. Rookie Barnes dominated the final quarter, scoring 12 points and 1 rebound on 6-of-8 shooting, and Trent also had 9 points and 1 steal. In the end, the Raptors reversed the Rockets 117-115 and successfully won 3 consecutive wins.
Harden Embiid be careful
The Houston Rockets lost again, swallowing a six-game losing streak and losing the game with a 24-point lead at one point, which is somewhat unpleasant, but this may be the ultimate goal of the Rockets. Porter Jr. exploded with 35 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, and was in excellent form, Christopher also had 20 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, Sagu had 17 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists, Tate 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, but Jaylen Green only had 8 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, 3 of 10 shooting, and the number of consecutive 30+ games was also ended.
The Raptors completed the reversal, Siakam got 29 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and 1 block, once again showing the style of the King of the North, Trent also had 26 points and 1 rebound, hit 5 three-pointers, Barnes ruled in the last quarter, it was 16 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, and Thaddeus Young on the bench had 14 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists on 6-of-8 shooting. It has to be said that this season the Raptors are the real dark horses of the East, they rank fifth in the East, and the first round of the playoffs will be against the fourth team in the East, which is most likely the Philadelphia 76ers.
In the face of such a strong team nemesis, it has to be said that Harden and Embiid really have to be careful.