Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley buried the Rockets with a barrage of 3-pointers, leading visiting New York to a 116-103 victory (box score) on Thursday at Toyota Center. Quickley connected on 7-of-10 from behind the arc, which wasn’t far behind Houston’s 11 treys as a team.
Reserve big man Mitchell Robinson also made a big impact for the Knicks (13-16) with 17 points (8-of-8 shooting) and 9 rebounds. In particular, his defense helped fluster Houston’s rookie big man, Alperen Sengun, into just 1 point (0-of-3 rebounds) and 2 rebounds in 15 minutes — easily one of the worst outings of his young NBA career.
The rebuilding Rockets (9-20) were led by veteran center Daniel Theis, who started in place of the injured Christian Wood and had his best game of the 2021-22 season with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Wood, who has missed two games with left knee tendinitis, is expected to be back in the lineup when Houston returns to action Saturday in Detroit.
It remains to be seen what Wood’s return means to the future playing time of Theis, who had largely fallen out of the rotation due to Houston’s struggles with floor spacing when using dual-center lineups with Wood and Theis. Moreover, with Sengun’s minutes and development prioritized as a backup, there isn’t an easy way for Theis to play if he does not start. Now that Dec. 15 has passed, Theis (as an offseason signing with the Rockets) is eligible to be traded elsewhere at any time.
Daniel Theis with the hammer 🔨 pic.twitter.com/nDRE268Et1
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 17, 2021
Other Houston players in double-figures included:
- Jae’Sean Tate: 20 points (6-of-8 shooting, 2-of-4 on 3-pointers), 6 rebounds in 29 minutes
- Garrison Mathews: 17 points (4-of-10 shooting), 7 rebounds in 32 minutes
- KJ Martin: 15 points (6-of-10 shooting), 5 rebounds, 5 assists in 29 minutes
- Josh Christopher: 14 points (5-of-9 shooting, 2-of-3 on 3-pointers), 3 assists, 2 steals in 33 minutes
The Rockets were without three expected starters in Wood, Jalen Green (left hamstring strain), and Kevin Porter Jr. (left thigh contusion), as well as a veteran reserve in Danuel House Jr. (left ankle sprain). Making matters worse, sharpshooter Armoni Brooks played only 9 minutes on Thursday due to left ankle soreness and did not return.
Between widespread injuries and a rough stretch of five games in seven nights, including back-to-back games the last two nights in two different cities, head coach Stephen Silas indicated postgame that fatigue was potentially a factor for his young team. The Rockets rallied back from a 17-point deficit to take a brief lead late in the third quarter, but the comeback ultimately ran out of steam early in the fourth.
The Rockets have one day without a game to recover before returning to play on Saturday in Detroit, albeit with a much earlier-than-usual start time of 11:00 a.m. CST. That game kicks off a five-game road trip. Until then, scroll on for highlights and postgame reaction from Thursday.
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