The Houston Rockets entered Sunday’s game against the Toronto Raptors in the middle of their worst skid of the season, and they managed to grind out a tough, low-scoring victory.
After trailing by five at halftime, the Rockets caught fire in the fourth quarter, using a 36-24 scoring run to take home the 94-87 victory.
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Despite shooting an inefficient 5-of-16 from the field, Dillon Brooks led the Rockets in scoring with 19 points. Jalen Green, who shot 7-of-19 on the day, also buried important shots, finishing with 18 points.
Alperen Sengun, who missed several recent games and was doubtful to play today due to a lumbar spasm, exited in the game’s first minutes, holding his back in pain. The Rockets called a timeout to get him off the floor, and he didn’t return.
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The Rockets’ injury woes extended beyond Sengun’s absence for a majority of the contest. Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams, and Tari Eason were also ruled out with injuries. Jabari Smith also hasn’t suited up since he suffered a fractured left hand on Jan. 3.
One player that has consistently been available for Houston is Jalen Green. The fourth-year guard, who turned 23 years old today, hasn’t missed a single game of the Ime Udoka era in Houston, a streak that now spans more than a season and a half.
“We commend him for playing through a lot,” Udoka said of Green after the win. “...Some guys sit out with certain things, pains and stiffness, and Jalen’s not one of them. He’s played through everything.”
Despite being short-staffed, Houston relied on bench players to step up and play meaningful minutes. Nine players played double-digit minutes for the Rockets, and three bench players scored 11 or more points.
The win snaps a treacherous six-game losing streak that has plagued the Rockets over the month of February.
The squad had just won four straight games, in a streak that including two wins over the Cleveland Cavaliers and a win over the Boston Celtics—the Eastern Conference’s top two teams. However, a combination of bad injury luck, poor shooting and loose late-game management fueled the skid that saw the team drop from the second seed to the fifth seed in the Western Conference.
However, today’s win has the Rockets back on track, as the team now has a 33-20 record, jumping the Los Angeles Lakers for the fourth seed in the West.
