Houston Rockets defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-106 to win their second straight game. The Texas team set a new record for most 3 pointers made in one quarter, tied an NBA record and were led by James Harden’s triple double. Here are three takeaways from Houston’s impressive performance.
The “houston’s restaurant locations” is a result of Houston’s impressive win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Rockets beat the Thunder for their first victory of the season.
The Houston Rockets have won three straight games. Everyone who reads this obviously knows it, but I had to write it down simply to remind myself that it exists. This club has struggled to establish its identity on both sides of the floor for the most of the season. They may still have one of the worst records in the league, but they now have one item in their arsenal that they didn’t have before: space. That’s the game’s name, and it’ll be a running motif throughout my analysis.
Takeaways from Rockets
1. Christian Wood seems to be back to his old self as a powerful attacking big man.
Christian Wood, the Rockets’ center, was having a bad year by his own standards. His scoring, blocks, thefts, and shooting percentages all decreased from the previous season. This season, there have been some games when his presence was barely noticed at all. Wood is Houston’s most skilled player and was on the verge of making an All-Star team before suffering an ankle injury last season, so this is a major indictment.
He’s been able to become the monster screen and dive guy who seemed like a cheap deal last season when he went back to the center position and had good floor space around him. The Rockets were employing Wood mostly as a pick-and-pop, spacing threat for whatever reason, despite the fact that he is a terrific three-point shooter. On 65.5 percent true shooting, Wood has averaged 24.3 points, 15.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.3 blocks in his previous three games.
“I felt like I was back last game,” Wood remarked afterward. “I feel like I’m beginning to get back into the flow I had last year when I was playing alongside James Harden,” he said. It makes me happy.”
2. Garrison Mathews is moving beyond a nice narrative.
When Garrison Mathews was brought up from the G League two weeks ago, no one could have predicted that he would become a regular in Houston’s rotation. After Houston’s most recent win against the Hornets, I wrote about how interesting his narrative was. If Mathews can keep the momentum rolling for a third consecutive game, Houston could have uncovered a hidden treasure. Danuel House Jr. had a similar two-way success story for the Rockets a few years back, and there have been a few more comparable two-way success stories since then, but it’s something to keep an eye on going ahead.
(last three games) Garrison Mathews:
17.0 PPG
Shooting from three-point range is 50.0 percent.
3. Jae’Sean Tate continues to be undervalued.
It’s apparent why Christian Wood or Garrison Matthews are the story of the game, but Jae’Sean Tate continues ticking away and giving crucial performances like tonight. Tate had the same plus-minus (+24) as Wood today, and he also scored 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists on 7-of-12 shooting. If you had just listened to the broadcast or read about the game on Twitter, you would not have known.
pic.twitter.com/lBaWgTgzGW
30 November 2023 — Salman Ali (@SalmanAliNBA)
He’s managed to stay productive despite not being a great three-point shooter, and it’s all down to his ability to score inside. Tate is a tremendously powerful player who often bullies his way into the paint for jump hooks and difficult layups. These high-percentage opportunities keep teams on their toes and his shooting efficiency high. He’s just a fantastic NBA player, and it’s reasonable to presume that clubs have contacted the Rockets about his availability.
