122-97, the Rockets beat the Kings by 25 points at home back-to-back!
Moreover, at most, the Rockets are 40 points ahead! The Rockets won 3 in a row, with a record of 3 wins and 3 losses, and the current winning rate is 5 percent, temporarily ranking eighth in the West! For now, it's not a big problem to talk about playoff teams, right?
The Rockets' game today was really enjoyable, VanVleet hit a three-point shot from the midcourt with 0.5 seconds before halftime! The balance of victory is tilted on the side of the rockets, how to lose? Van Vleet is also really strong, worthy of being a player who single-handedly turned the tide, from the draft to the core of the team, from the base salary contract to the 100 million yuan contract, from the shot to the core guard who shot a reasonable and accurate shot, this is Van Vleet. After VanVleet hit the ball, a deafening cry erupted throughout the Toyota Center, and it was a long time since the Rockets had such an exhilarating moment at home.
Today, the Rockets played at an extraordinary level on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, and you can also see the difference between Udoka and Silas. Udoka's transformation of the Rockets' offense and defense is something that Silas simply can't match. The Rockets scored 32 points in the first quarter, allowing the Kings to score 22 points, and the margin easily reached double digits. In the second quarter, the Rockets played a 16-2 offensive climax, 35-20 in a single quarter, and a net win of 15 points! What's even more terrifying is that the third quarter of this game did not collapse like the previous two games. The whole team did not let up at all, continued to play a tough style of play, scoring another 30 points in a single quarter in the third quarter, and soon extended the margin to 40 points. In this way, the stub becomes garbage time.
You know, the Rockets in previous seasons have always been the side that has been beaten into garbage time. This time, the roles were reversed, and Team Rocket emerged as the winner. Udoka emphasized in the locker room that he can't let up when he leads, and that's one of the changes he brought to the Rockets. From the spirit of the players, to the style of play, to the tactics, try to win. Some people may say that these are all false, and they speak directly with data. Prior to this season, the Rockets averaged 2.7 secondary assists per game, and the league's fourth-to-last assist means that the pass before the assist is formed, which does not directly lead to scoring, but can reflect the team's ability to pass the ball continuously. This season, that number has come to 4.5 times, which is currently the third in the league.
Of course, although it can't be a game, but judging from the performance so far this season, the Rockets have really changed qualitatively. Moreover, in the four games between the Rockets and the Kings last season, they consistently conceded more than 130 points in a single game. In the last game against the Kings, the opponent only scored 89 points. In today's game, the Kings only scored 60 points in the third quarter and only 97 points in the whole game. In addition, the Kings' lack of a core guard Fox today was also a key reason for the poor performance. But there's no denying that the Rockets' defense has really improved this season. In addition, after the addition of some veterans and strength players, the spirit of the Rockets players is also significantly different.
Dillon, who was on the thigh last time, played today and scored 9 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist on 3-of-6 shooting, but the plus/minus was as high as +34! And Green broke out on the offensive end, shooting 5-of-9 and 3-of-5 from three-point range, with a very good efficiency. In these games, Udoka deliberately let Green play more without the ball, release the ball to a certain extent, and focus more on defense. That's what it takes to develop young players, starting with defense and then attacking. Shin Kyung remained stable, shooting 7-of-13 from the field, with a double-double of 17 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, and most importantly, only 1 turnover. While setting a new career assist record, he surpassed Big Dream and became the player with the most assists in a single game by a center in Rockets history. After two games, in the face of little Sabonis, Shen Jing is not bad at all!
Smith Jr. was also excellent, and VanVleet shot 3-of-8 but had the same exaggerated plus/minus as Dillon. So, what heights do you think the Rockets can reach this season?