Houston took yet another loss in Tuesday night’s 119-117 setback (recap) at Staples Center, with LeBron James rallying his Los Angeles Lakers to victory. But led by rookie guard Jalen Green, the young Rockets certainly made them earn it — and if Kevin Porter Jr.’s final shot was inches shorter, they’d have walked out with a feel-good win.
As it is, the Rockets (1-6) suffered their fifth straight defeat. But unlike some recent losses, which largely weren’t competitive, Houston held a lead into the fourth quarter and had clear opportunities to win. For a rebuilding team whose 2021-22 season is about growth, that’s progress.
“This game today was actually super fun,” Green said. “Even though we lost and we wanted that win bad, that was my first time a part of something like that. … It’s all experience at the end of the day.”
After scoring just 7 points on 25% shooting during Sunday’s game against those same Lakers, the 19-year-old answered back in a big way with 24 points on 60% shooting on Tuesday at Staples Center. The No. 2 overall pick from the 2021 NBA draft hit 5-of-10 shots (50%) from 3-point range, including a pair of tough makes in the final minute that gave Houston a chance to steal the game in the closing seconds.
🚨 JALEN GREEN CUTS IT TO 1! 🚨@HoustonRockets 117@Lakers 118
8.2 left on League Pass: https://t.co/5QqkBhf1W0 pic.twitter.com/d7b5gNuRv1
— NBA (@NBA) November 3, 2021
After Porter’s last-second miss, it wasn’t quite enough. But Green and the Rockets are hopeful that it could soon lead to a breakthrough.
“We for sure grew up a lot,” Green told reporters. “I think today showed that we started playing like a team and trusting each other. I don’t think we were doing that before.”
It could be argued that the most encouraging aspect of Houston’s performance was where the productive results came from. With three veterans sidelined in Daniel Theis (sore right big toe), Eric Gordon (nausea), and Danuel House Jr. (right foot sprain), head coach Stephen Silas had little choice but to ask for even more from his young players.
Led by Green, along with strong outings by Christian Wood, Jae’Sean Tate, KJ Martin, and Porter, the young Rockets responded to that challenge. “I feel so proud of the fight that the guys had and how hard they played and fighting through adversity, you can’t help but feel that we’re getting better,” Silas said postgame. “We’re starting to understand what it takes to do things the right way, do things in a winning way.”
Houston will look to translate that into a better team result when they return to action on Thursday night in Phoenix. Tipoff between the Rockets and Suns (3-3) is set for 9:00 p.m. Central.
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