VanVleet, who broke out two games in a row, missed back-to-back games against the Trail Blazers, and the Rockets have two regular season games left, and the team's goal is to go from hitting the play-offs to now aiming for 40 wins. Udoka said bluntly after the last game, Green can't defend and attack, so replace him, from the outburst to the slump, Udoka finally couldn't bear it, the top scorer VanVleet couldn't play, the starter changed again, Landale partnered Jabari Smith, and Jalen Green ushered in another opportunity to prove himself.
During the losing streak, Jalen Green was only able to average 15 points per game and shot 35% from the field, and he finally found his touch in the first quarter of this game, shooting 3-of-6 and scoring 8 points. After all, the Trail Blazers are a weak team, and in the last two games of the playoffs, there is hardly much defense, Green's outburst has a certain relationship with the defensive intensity, in the slump of several games, Green encountered a superstar-like bag defense, and did not find a way to crack it, and in the game with the Trail Blazers, he actually played not actively enough, and most of the shots were on the outside.
The last dynamic backcourt combination of the Rockets is Whitmore and Amen Thompson, the two players are better at breaking through to the inside, Amen Thompson has not played the No. 1 position for a long time, due to VanVleet's injury, Amen re-played point guard, can play three positions, and even the No. 4 position, he and the Trail Blazers' roster Henderson exploded in this game, hitting 6 three-pointers, in this year's draft, the Rockets targeted Henderson, but chose Amen because of the pick.
Green had a bad year, and finally broke out, sprained his ankle, and was replaced early. Before the injury, he had 20 points and eight rebounds and had one last game left, but he was back on the court. His third season with the Rockets was not a perfect progress, and the focus of the Rockets' play in this game was actually Holiday Jr. and Landale, the former only signed a season's base salary this year, and Landale's second-year contract is a team option, and the initiative is in the hands of the Rockets.
Holiday Jr. got 18 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in this game, as a third point guard, the price of the base salary is very worthwhile, Amen Thompson gradually played the starter, and did not play point guard anymore, so Holiday Jr. has a very important role. has three-point ability, very cost-effective, he is expected to complete a contract extension with the Rockets, he can stay to get more playing time, Landale 19 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, the defensive end is relatively tough, after Shen Jing was injured, Landale bottomed out and really became the team's No. 1 center.
But don't forget that the Rockets' two main-level centers Landale and Adams are still injured, even if Landale plays well, but with an annual salary of 8 million a year, playing a third center, there are some luxuries, and his prospects for staying on the team are not as good as Holiday Jr. Jalen Green was ashamed and brave, 10 of 20 in this game, got 26 points and 9 rebounds, after experiencing a downturn, it finally broke out, the Rockets got the 40th win, if they win the next game, the winning rate can reach 5 percent, and it can be regarded as the success of the Rockets, Udoka and Stone are qualified this year.