In an NBA game that ended today, the Rockets lost 117-123 to the Pacers, the process of the battle was full of ups and downs, the first quarter of the two sides were inseparable, the second quarter Rockets had the upper hand, the Pacers won 14 points in a single quarter in the third quarter, the Rockets struggled to catch up in the final quarter, Van Jordan led the team to overtake for a while, but Haliburton hit a key three-pointer, and the Rockets could only lose in the end. In terms of statistics, Shen Jing had 30 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 4 turnovers, VanVleet 18 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals and 3 turnovers, Eason 16 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals, Smith 10 points and 6 rebounds, Holiday 15 points and 3 rebounds, Dillon 9 points and 3 rebounds, Dillon 9 points and 3 points in the third quarter, while Jalen Green only had 5 points and 2 assists.
The Pacers are the team with the strongest offensive firepower in the league, and the Rockets are strict on defense this season, Udoka once said that limiting opponents to 30 points per quarter is the bottom limit, and as a result, in today's game, the Pacers scored more than 30 points in three quarters, including 37 points in the third quarter, which is enough to prove that the Pacers' offensive ability is indeed incomprehensible, and the Rockets are a little unable to parry.
Of course, you still have to find a reason for losing, the Rockets have three points that they don't do well, the first is the defensive problem, the Rockets gave the Pacers too many vacant opportunities, three-point firepower comparison, the Rockets are 5 of 24, and the Pacers are 19 of 43, the gap is huge, especially Haliburton got 33 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists, and the Rockets have been unable to take him.
Haliburton has strong independent offensive ability, the Rockets defensive end was a single defense at the beginning, and he couldn't prevent it, and he began to wrap it up, but Haliburton still has top-level passing ability, he can revitalize the whole Pacers team, the Rockets really can't help it, plus Dillon was injured in the third quarter, and the Rockets lost a defensive giant, which led to Haliburton's strength in the last quarter.
The second question, I have to criticize Jalen Green, he only played 20 minutes in the whole game, 5 of 7 shots, and was hidden in the snow in the last quarter, in fact, so far this season, this is the fourth time that Udoka has abandoned Green in the last quarter, as the nominal cornerstone of the Rockets, Green has obviously lost Udoka's trust, since the front is not good, then you simply don't play in the last quarter.
Maybe it's because of the criticism from the outside world, Green played without energy today, hesitating on the offensive end, and didn't dare to shoot, which shows that Green lacks courage and is prone to collapse, we say that as a scorer, even if the state is bad, you should shoot, instead of being timid, but it's a pity that Green's mentality is easily disturbed by the outside world.
Udoka has the courage, he will definitely not get used to Green, as the season progresses, if Green still does not improve, not to mention that the starter is difficult to guarantee, whether he will continue to stay in the Rockets is a question. The final reason for the loss, the Rockets did not play well at the critical moment, and no one could stand up in the last 2 minutes, to put it bluntly, the Rockets lacked a person who could play a tough battle at the critical moment.
This was supposed to be Green's task, but it backfired, and Green was embarrassed. The highlight of the Rockets' game is Ethan, who scored 16 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals in 7 of 13, Ethan's skills are a little rough, but he is really stable, can attack and defend, and is much stronger than Green, which is why fans want Eason to start.
Amen Thompson also played well, both offensively and defensively. And Holiday who stood up many times to stop the bleeding. Shen Jing's 30 points are the highest in the team, and he plays very tough on the offensive end, like when the rockets are behind, they basically rely on Shen Jing's singles to chisel inside, if you have to say that the bad part may be the defense, Shen Jing's frame protection ability is poor, and in some rounds, Shen Jing plays a little alone and does not pass the ball to his teammates.
After the game, it was reported that Udoka criticized Green in the locker room, and also said some remarks in support of Green, and it can be seen that Udoka's patience is reaching the limit, which is a dangerous signal, and Green is currently in a worrying situation. Shin Kyung was interviewed and said of the loss: "We knew the Pacers were the best offensive team in the league, and we tried to address that in the game plan, but they still scored the winning shot, so they won." Later, when talking about Green's continued slump, Shin Jing replied: "Of course we want Green to stay aggressive, and for him, he needs to find the right shots and have the confidence to shoot. ”
Shen Jing's remarks are very understandable, he thinks that Green's shot is unreasonable, in other words, he is not smart enough, Shen Jing's words have the meaning of dissatisfaction with Green, and at the same time remind Green that it is acceptable not to shoot, but he must not lose confidence. To sum up, Green's current position in the Rockets is extremely embarrassing, after all, he has been trained for three years, and he can't just throw it away, Udoka is very contradictory, that is, he expects Green to prove himself again, and he has the meaning of complaining about Green, so the Rockets might as well set up another test period, with the next 10 games as the standard, if Green still can't play, then simply remove it from the starter, Ethan is on the top, which is good for the Rockets.