Tag: Dejounte Murray

Defense regresses, Jalen Green’s slump continues as Spurs blast Rockets

Houston’s defense took a big step back and rookie Jalen Green had another cold shooting game as San Antonio blew out the Rockets at Toyota Center. Here’s what we learned postgame.

Houston’s defense took a big step back and rookie guard Jalen Green had another cold shooting game as San Antonio blew out the Rockets on Tuesday night at Toyota Center, 134-104 (box score).

The Rockets went 3-2 on their recent road trip — and nearly 4-1, with one game lost on a Steph Curry buzzer-beater. But in their return home, they looked like a very different and lifeless unit on the defensive end.

Making matters worse, rookie guard Jalen Green continued to struggle. The No. 2 overall pick from the 2021 NBA draft scored 7 points on just 3-of-16 shooting (18.8%), including 1-of-8 on 3-pointers (12.5%). In his last six games, Green is 3-of-32 from 3-point range (9.4%).

Arguably the biggest positive from a bad night was that Green immediately returned to the court postgame to work on his jump shot.

Kevin Porter Jr. led the Rockets with 16 points and 9 assists, including 2-of-4 on 3-pointers (50.0%), while Christian Wood had 15 points and 7 rebounds. Jae‘Sean Tate tallied 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals, but he played only 19 minutes in a clear blowout scenario.

Rookie reserves Alperen Sengun (14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Josh Christopher (13 points, 3 assists, 66.7% FG) played well, as did second-year forward KJ Martin (13 points, 6-of-7 shooting, 8 rebounds).

Dejounte Murray led the visiting Spurs (18-30) with 19 points (53.3% FG), 10 assists, and 3 steals in only 24 minutes, which reflects the lack of resistance and poor communication by Houston’s defense.

The rebuilding Rockets (14-34), who have not won at home since Dec. 8, have two days off before resuming this four-game homestand on Friday night versus Portland. Until then, scroll on for highlights and postgame reaction following a dreary Tuesday night in Houston.

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At young age, Dejounte Murray knew Kevin Porter Jr. was special

Spurs guard Dejounte Murray became close friends with Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. when they grew up in Seattle, and he saw “special” potential at a young age.

San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray became close friends with Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. when they grew up in Seattle, and he saw “special” potential in Porter at a young age.

“I knew he was special,” Murray told Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston prior to Tuesday’s game at Toyota Center between the Texas rivals.

“I told my high school coach to start him, when he was a freshman. Because the talent was just there. Obviously, the maturity level… you have to grow and get used to playing varsity basketball. But his talent was off the roof. I always told him, ‘You’re going to have a chance. Just with his body size and his feel for the game. He’s a talented lefty.”

“It’s just special to see him continue to grow,” Murray said. “I’ve just tried to put in his head, ‘Be a great person, work your butt off, and be willing to learn.’ Everything else will handle itself.”

Now that both are in the NBA, Murray says knowing the third-year guard’s personal story makes Porter’s rise all the more remarkable.

“I’ve known him since he was probably in sixth grade,” Murray told Berman, prior to Tuesday’s game. “It’s just special knowing his story, with how he was raised and losing his father at a young age, and him overcoming everything and making it to this level.”

In the first meeting between the childhood friends on Jan. 12, Murray led the host Spurs with 32 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds. But it was Porter who emerged victorious, sinking three 3-pointers in the game’s final five minutes to lift Houston to the win. The Seattle natives will do battle again in Tuesday’s rematch, with tipoff set for 7:00 p.m. CST.

“That’s my little brother,” Murray concluded. “I love him to death. Blood couldn’t make us any closer. I’m proud. We’re proud.”

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Time away from social media has helped Kevin Porter Jr. on court

“I tend to take breaks from social media,” Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. said of his recent break. “Nowadays, social media is used as negative more than positive.”

Sometimes in life, it is good to step away from the things that distract you and take away your focus from your main objective. Some individuals call it a “reality check” to help them recenter their lives and get back on track.

One recent example was Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr., who was tired of being distracted by all the negativity on social media and decided to deactivate all his accounts earlier this month. He needed time to focus on himself and the essential things in life.

Fans noticed Porter’s absence from social media after a home loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 10, where he scored only eight points in 28 minutes. Many began to bombard platforms such as Twitter to find out why they had not seen anything from Porter, and then it became evident that his accounts were not present anymore.

Yet the one thing fans did notice the next night was Porter helping Houston secure a win in San Antonio with 12 points in the fourth quarter to outduel high school friend and current Spurs star DeJounte Murray.

Porter, 21, used his newfound focus to help lead the Rockets to their first successful road trip of the season with a 3-2 record over five games. He averaged 17.8 points and 6.6 assists per game during that time, scoring in double digits all five games after only completing that task once in the previous five outings.

“I tend to take breaks from social media,” Porter said after Monday’s team practice at Toyota Center. “Nowadays, social media is used as negative more than positive, and it was created for positivity, but it is 2022, so you know how that goes. I just advise people to take a break. There is a lot of fake stuff out there that you see.”

Rockets head coach Stephen Silas was unaware that his starting point guard had stepped away from all social media platforms, but he said he was happy by the growth and maturity of Porter:

Any distractions, whether it’s referees, people, or social media, can at times take you away from the laser focus that you need to be successful. If he felt it was a distraction for him, kudos to him for realizing that and being mature enough to cut that out.

Coach Silas also elaborated on the communication he has had with Porter since the New Year’s Day game against the Denver Nuggets. After a verbal altercation with long-time assistant coach John Lucas at halftime, he left the Toyota Center. Porter was suspended for one-game and apologized to his teammates and coaches.

“My communication with him was more about our relationship and his relationship with his teammates,” Silas said. “He has been great. He has been focused and locked in.”

After playing five games on the road, the Rockets will get a chance to play in front of their home crowd at Toyota Center for the next four games, starting with the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night.

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Spurs at Rockets: Lineups, injury reports, broadcast and stream info for Tuesday

After an intense matchup two weeks ago, Seattle natives and longtime friends Dejounte Murray and Kevin Porter Jr. will meet again when the Rockets host the Spurs on Tuesday.

The Houston Rockets kick off a four-game homestand with Tuesday’s visit from in-state rival San Antonio, and if you’re wondering how you can watch all the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

Houston enters with momentum on the back of a strong road trip, where they went 3-2 — with one of the lone losses at the buzzer to Golden State courtesy of a Steph Curry buzzer-beater. Now, the challenge is to find that form at Toyota Center, where they haven’t won since Dec. 8.

The Rockets defeated the Spurs earlier this month in San Antonio, but the home team was short-handed that night due to health and safety protocols absences, including starting guard Derrick White. This time, the Spurs have a clean injury report for the rematch, and they’re hoping to break out of a recent skid in which they’ve lost 12 of 15 games, overall.

The key matchup could be Houston’s Kevin Porter Jr. versus San Antonio’s Dejounte Murray. Both are young, intensely competitive guards from the Seattle area who also happen to be close friends. Murray had the superior full-game statistics on Jan. 12, but Porter hit several dagger 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter as the Rockets pulled away to win.

With a win Tuesday, the Rockets would come within two games of the Spurs in the Western Conference standings. Both teams are currently outside of the West’s 10-team playoff picture by several games, including the play-in tournament for teams seeded at No. 7 through No. 10.

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Ranking the likeliest players to make All-Star debuts this season

HoopsHype ranks the 14 players who are likeliest to make their All-Star debuts in the 2021-22 season.

Being selected as an NBA All-Star is one of the highest honors a professional basketball player can attain, and as such, when a player makes their All-Star debut, it is seen as a huge deal by the player, his team and his fans.

There are a lot of players making strong cases to make the All-Star for the first time, so we decided to rank the 14 guys we believe have the best chances to earn that distinction this season.

Check it out below.

Ranking the likeliest players to make All-Star debuts this season

Being selected as an NBA All-Star is one of the highest honors a professional basketball player can attain, and as such, when a player makes their All-Star debut, it is seen as a huge deal by the player, his team and his fans.

There are a lot of players making strong cases to make the All-Star for the first time, so we decided to rank the 14 guys we believe have the best chances to earn that distinction this season.

Check it out below.

For Rockets, confidence is key to Kevin Porter Jr.’s on-court success

“Fourth quarter was winning time, and I felt good,” said Kevin Porter Jr., who helped lift Houston to a win with 18 points and three huge 3-pointers late in Wednesday’s game.

Houston Rockets point guard Kevin Porter Jr. looked like he was going through the motions against the San Antonio Spurs for three quarters on Wednesday night. He had a measly 6 points heading into the final period as the Rockets held a slim 91-90 lead over the Spurs.

His body language displayed that frustration, as Dejounte Murray regularly harassed him on the offensive and defensive ends of the court.

Yet, anyone who knows Porter will tell you that he is a fierce competitor and does not fold under pressure. He welcomes it with open arms, and he treats the praise and criticism the same.

In a road game against the Los Angeles Lakers in November, Porter had the ball in his hands in the final seconds and his team down by two points. He retrieved the ball from the backcourt, took a couple of dribbles, and shot a three-pointer over the outstretched arms of a defender. The ball hit the back of the rim and bounced out. After the game, Porter told media members that he would take that shot again, if he had to.

That opportunity arose again this month when the Rockets were tied with Washington at 111. Porter pulled up from 3-point range and successfully knocked down the shot that eventually gave Houston the victory and broke an eight-game losing streak with just 0.4 seconds left.

As the game progressed on Wednesday against the Spurs, Porter knew that he had to shake off the lousy night he was having because his team might need him down the stretch. And it turns out they did.

After replacing center Daniel Theis with under six minutes left in the final quarter, Porter scored 12 points, including a late 3-pointer before the shot clock expired to help the Rockets defeat the Spurs, 128-124.

“Fourth quarter was winning time, and I felt good,” said Porter, who finished the game with 18 points and three clutch 3-pointers.

Rockets head coach Stephen Silas also noticed that his starting point guard was heating up late in the game.

“He got hot,” Silas said of Porter in postgame comments to reporters in San Antonio. “He never lacks for confidence. That’s one of the things I love about him. He’s not afraid of the moment, at all.”

Porter said after the game that those types of big shots he made on Wednesday night are the kind he prepares for:

All my life, I’ve been wanting those shots. When the moment is hot, I just get a feeling and raise my aggression on offense and defense. I love those moments. I definitely get more confident going down the stretch when it’s a game like that, taking those shots.

The Rockets will head out to the West Coast for a two-game series against the Sacramento Kings starting on Friday.

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Rockets blast Spurs behind Eric Gordon masterclass, late Kevin Porter Jr. heroics

Eric Gordon scored 31 points on 90% shooting and Kevin Porter Jr. took over late in the fourth quarter, lifting Houston to a feel-good victory at San Antonio.

Veteran guard Eric Gordon scored a team-high 31 points on incredible shooting efficiency and teammate Kevin Porter Jr. took over with elite shotmaking down the stretch, sending the Houston Rockets to a 128-124 victory (box score) at San Antonio on Wednesday night.

For the Rockets (12-31), it is just their second victory in the last 12 games. The Spurs (15-26) have now lost eight of their last nine.

Gordon scored 31 points against the Spurs on 9-of-10 shooting (90.0%) and 6-of-7 on 3-pointers (85.7%) and Houston was +11 in Gordon’s 32 minutes played. Meanwhile, Porter had 18 points on 3-of-5 shooting from 3-point range (60.0%), with all three of those makes (and 12 total points) coming when the game was close in the final five minutes.

Christian Wood tallied 23 points (52.9% FG) and 11 rebounds, while Jae’Sean Tate scored 13 points on perfect 6-of-6 shooting. Tate also had 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots in his 29 minutes. Rookie Jalen Green had 14 points and a career-high 8 rebounds, but he struggled with his shot at 4-of-14 (28.6%) overall, including 0-of-6 on 3-pointers.

Dejounte Murray led the host Spurs with 32 points (46.2% FG), 11 assists, 10 rebounds, and 3 steals, and that kept San Antonio within striking distance until the closing seconds on Wednesday night.

Houston continues its five-game road trip with two games in Sacramento on Friday and Sunday, with the first tipping off at 9:00 p.m. CST. Until then, scroll on for Wednesday’s highlights and postgame reaction.

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Three in the Key: Analyzing Luka Doncic, Dejounte Murray, Garrison Mathews

As part of an ongoing series at HoopsHype, we’re breaking down three interesting topics we have seen around the NBA throughout the season.

As part of an ongoing series at HoopsHype, we’re breaking down three interesting topics we have seen around the NBA throughout the season.

Of course, the name of this column is derived from basketball’s three-second violation rule. With that in mind, the goal of this exercise is to observe three subjects about the game. We want to explain the key to why it is happening while also providing context on what makes it interesting.

Here are three more of our highlights from the NBA’s 2021-22 season:

Three in the Key: Analyzing Luka Doncic, Dejounte Murray, Garrison Mathews

As part of an ongoing series at HoopsHype, we’re breaking down three interesting topics we have seen around the NBA throughout the season.

Of course, the name of this column is derived from basketball’s three-second violation rule. With that in mind, the goal of this exercise is to observe three subjects about the game. We want to explain the key to why it is happening while also providing context on what makes it interesting.

Here are three more of our highlights from the NBA’s 2021-22 season: