The Houston Rockets visited the New Orleans Pelicans at home, and after four quarters of fierce battle, the Rockets slaughtered the Pelicans 120-87 to win two straight. This game is a lot of attention to both sides, all the main forces are out, the new rocket shows a new look under the dispatch of Uduka, and the Pelicans are helpless.
It can be said that Uduka was the biggest contributor to the win, but the execution of the players is also key, as far as this game is concerned, 3 players showed superstar appearances, and Uduka also praised them. However, the team also revealed its biggest problems, and Uduka was worried.
First, the 3 heroes of the Pelicans, it is no exaggeration to say that they have star phases.
One is Smith Jr
He's definitely the best player of the game. He continued to start the game, shooting 7-of-9 from the field and 3-of-4 from three-point range in 14 minutes in the first half, scoring a game-high 17 points plus 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, with a plus-minus of +9.
Jabari Smith came down the game, shooting 9-of-13 from the field, 4-of-5 from three-point range, efficiently scoring 22 points and 9 rebounds, in addition to 2 assists, 1 steal and 0 turnovers.
Not only is he a 3D player, but his ball-carrying offense is also refreshing, and his defense is even stronger. In this game, under his defense, Pelicans player Zion played 21 minutes, only 3 shots, got a pitiful 4 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, plus or minus -12, and was completely blown up by Smith.
The second is Ethan.
Although he came off the bench, although he played less playing time, this could not stop his performance, playing 9 and a half minutes, he took 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals, shooting 3 of 5. In an offensive return, Ethan scored 2+1, which is a burst of athletic talent.
In the new season, Yin Sen has improved a lot in terms of teamwork, good rebounding protection, and defensive aggression. In fact, Uduka should have increased Ethan's playing time. Starting Dillon played 22 minutes before he had seven points, two rebounds and three assists, shooting just 2-of-5 from the field. And his backup Ethan played 9 and a half minutes, took 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals, shot 3 of 5, Dillon can defend Ethan can also defend, but offensively Yin Sen has much potential.
The third is Greene
Green is not in the side of the game in this game, and the offensive and defensive are online. Played 24 minutes, shooting 4-of-7 from the offensive end, scoring 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. Although Green's defense is average, compared to last season, it has been very in line with the requirements of Uduka, and the whole game is basically not out of position, which is a huge improvement over last season, and Green's rhythm change in attack is significantly stronger than last season. One thing is to say, as long as his hand can be recovered, his overall strength this season will definitely be stronger than last season. Even if he doesn't reach All-Star strength this season, it won't be too far away, and Uduka will help him become an All-Star.
Of course, winning is not a matter of one or two people, Shen Jing 12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals, is also a great contribution to the team. VanVleet played a quarter with 6 points, 4 assists and 3 steals, and Dillon contributed 7 points and 3 assists, all of which also played a role.
The performance of the team's two rookies also exceeded expectations.
Amen Thompson had 12 points and four assists, he was extremely adaptable, he started the second half, his passing vision and timing were not new at all, and his shooting ability would be better if he slowly improved.
The White Devils continued to show his talent by scoring 8 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist on 3-of-8 shooting. In a defensive counterattack, Whitmore jumped high in advance, stayed in the air and directly completed a one-handed dunk, which shocked the four seats.
Both rookies have been very good and they will be a huge help on the bench in the new season.
Second, the Rockets won because of defensive improvement, but the team's biggest problem was also exposed.
Since Tucker, Ariza, Paul, Capela and their departure from the Rockets, I haven't seen such an offensive and defensive rocket in years. The defense of the new Rockets can be said to be phenomenal, and in the first half alone, under the defense of the Rockets, the Pelicans had 18 turnovers, while their own errors were controlled at 10, and the Rockets used the fast break to score 15 points. All the time, the Rockets made 18 steals. One thing is to say, the Rockets can improve, and the biggest change last season is still in defense, under the tuning of Uduka, the Rockets' defense has indeed become tough, diverse, and significantly improved.
At the request of Uduka, the players have greatly improved the speed of changing defenses and the overall uniformity, just like in Green and Shenjing, he was the target of the opponent's point list last season, but this season's defensive awareness has improved significantly, although Green still has a step in the game, but in the overall defense change is still very good, the concept of defense first penetrates into the heart of every player.
Three-point shooting is still relatively poor, and the team's biggest problem has been exposed, and it is also what makes Uduka angry.
Today, Van Jordan and Green as the Rockets start the backcourt double gun, in the offensive end three-point shooting is crazy iron, the whole game three-point shooting is 14 of 39, of which Dillon three-point 4 of 1, VanVleet three-point hanging egg 5 of 0, Shen Jing is okay also shot 3-of-0, Jaylen Green three-point 2 0, such a three-point shooting rate is really hot. Smith could make a pitch, 4-of-5. I hope the whole team practices shooting well.
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