Tag: Stephen Silas

Kevin Porter Jr. continues surge as Rockets beat Pistons to end skid

#Rockets guards Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green combined for 65 points on strong efficiency as Houston held off Jaden Ivey and Detroit to end its seven-game losing streak.

Kevin Porter Jr. continued his strong run of form as the Houston Rockets (19-59) ended a seven-game losing streak with Friday’s 121-115 victory (box score) over Detroit (16-61). The game kicked off this season’s final homestand of three games at Toyota Center.

Porter scored a game-high 33 points on 12-of-20 shooting (60.0%), including a blistering 7-of-13 mark from 3-point range (53.8%). Meanwhile, backcourt mate Jalen Green added 32 points and 5 assists on 10-of-18 shooting (55.6%) and 2-of-5 from 3-point range (40.0%).

Frontcourt starters Alperen Sengun (15 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists) and Jabari Smith Jr. (13 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks) each had simultaneous double-doubles for a second straight game.

In Friday’s narrow defeat, the Pistons were led by rookie guard Jaden Ivey, who had 18 points and a game-high 9 assists. However, he was less efficient than Houston’s young backcourt, shooting just 8-of-20 overall (40.0%) and 2-of-9 from 3-point range (22.2%).

Scroll on for highlights, postgame interviews with players and head coach Stephen Silas, and reaction from Houston fans and media members. The Rockets will continue their homestand Sunday versus the Los Angeles Lakers, with tipoff set for 6:00 p.m. Central.

Report: Nick Nurse a potential head coaching candidate for Rockets

The Toronto Star’s Doug Smith reports that Raptors coach Nick Nurse could potentially be in play for the #Rockets after this season.

If Houston moves on from Stephen Silas, longtime Raptors head coach Nick Nurse could be in play for the Rockets in the 2023 offseason, according to Toronto Star reporter Doug Smith.

The Rockets hold a team option on Silas’ contract for the 2023-24 season, which would it make it a financially convenient time to move on should they choose to do so. Houston has had one of the NBA’s two worst records in each of Silas’ three seasons with the team, though the team’s rebuilding movement with one of the league’s youngest rosters is obviously out of his control.

From Smith’s report:

The chirping has already started around the NBA, and it’s going to become more prevalent as the Raptors season reaches its ultimately disappointing conclusion.

You’ll hear that Nick Nurse may be out as the coach, you’ll hear that he’s destined to head to Houston and then you’re going to hear that Ime Udoka is the front-runner to replace him in Toronto if they go outside the current staff, which seems likely.

The Houston part … just won’t leave the rumor mill. Nurse certainly has ties there — check out his G League history.

To Smith’s point, Nurse was head coach of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers — Houston’s NBA G League affiliate — from 2011 through 2013. From there, Nurse left the Vipers for a stint as a Raptors assistant before taking over as Toronto’s head coach in 2018.

Over nearly five seasons with the Raptors, Nurse is 224-160 (.583) in the regular season and 25-16 (.610) across three playoff runs, including Toronto’s 2019 NBA championship.

From Houston’s perspective, if available, Nurse could represent a more proven option relative to Silas. While it would be unfair to place blame on Silas for his records over the last three seasons, he hasn’t had the success as a head coach that Nurse has. For the Rockets, who are looking to turn things around quickly in 2023-24 with future draft-pick obligations to Oklahoma City coming back into play, that proven track record could have appeal.

The Rockets have already been eliminated from playoff contention, so a decision on Silas’ future could come shortly after their regular season ends on Sunday, April 9. Toronto (38-38), however, remains likely to qualify for the Eastern Conference play-in tournament as it pushes for the 2023 playoffs. In turn, that could delay Nurse’s potential market availability by at least a few days.

Stay tuned!

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Kevin Porter Jr., Alperen Sengun keep Houston close in Brooklyn

Kevin Porter Jr. scored 31 efficient points while Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. had double-doubles, but the #Rockets couldn’t withstand Brooklyn’s late 3-point barrage.

The losing streak for the young and rebuilding Rockets is now at seven games after Wednesday’s 121-114 loss (box score) in Brooklyn wrapped up an 0-5 road trip. But unlike the three previous outings, which were mostly uncompetitive, Houston (18-59) led the Nets (41-35) by as many as nine points in the fourth quarter before an 18-4 run in the final three minutes turned the game upside down.

Yet again, the difference was in 3-point shooting. Led by 31 points and five 3-pointers from Cameron Johnson, the Nets shot 17-of-35 (48.6%) from behind the 3-point arc. Meanwhile, Houston was just 9-of-30 from deep (30%). That math proved difficult to overcome, even on a night where the Rockets had a 60-47 rebounding edge.

Alperen Sengun (21 points, 12 rebounds, 62.5% FG) and Jabari Smith Jr. (12 points, 12 rebounds) both had double-doubles as Houston flexed its interior muscle, while Kevin Porter Jr. had 31 points on 11-of-22 shooting (50%) and 4-of-10 on 3-pointers (40%). Porter also grabbed 9 rebounds and had a team-high 6 assists and 3 steals.

But the Rockets couldn’t withstand an unusually rough game by backcourt mate Jalen Green, who had 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting (38.5%) while missing all four of his 3-pointers.

KJ Martin added 15 points and 7 rebounds while hitting 3-of-5 from 3-point range (60%), while Josh Christopher had 14 points and 4 assists in just 17 bench minutes, making 6-of-10 shots (60%).

Scroll on for highlights, postgame interviews, and reaction by Houston fans and media members. With the road trip complete, next up for the Rockets is three straight games in the friendly confines of Toyota Center, representing their final homestand of the 2022-23 season. Tipoff of Friday’s opener versus Detroit is at 7 p.m. Central.

Rockets coach Stephen Silas reacts to blatant untruth told by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst

Stephen Silas tells @SportsMT about “blatant untruth” by Brian Windhorst: “Stuff like that is hard to take back. It’s just not good reporting. He said he was sick to his stomach.” #Rockets

Midday Tuesday, Stephen Silas and the Rockets went viral for an unfortunate reason. In a story by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst regarding rookie Jabari Smith Jr., Windhorst shared the following anecdote to illustrate the environment in Houston:

At one point, (Stephen) Silas broke down in tears after a game because he felt he couldn’t reach his players.

Windhorst’s intention was to show that Smith’s delayed breakout — the No. 3 overall draft pick from the NBA’s 2022 first round had largely struggled until after February’s All-Star break — was perhaps due in part to a challenging overall landscape with the Rockets.

However, when the Silas anecdote was aggregated by third-party accounts on social media, many fans cited it as an example of a head coach struggling to connect with players on his team. In other words, that would be a failure at one of his most basic job responsibilities.

There was just one problem, though. The anecdote Windhorst referenced about Silas was more than two years old, and thus irrelevant to the 2022-23 Rockets. Moreover, Silas contends that the crying aspect wasn’t even true, at the time. A correction was later issued by Windhorst and the story updated, but significant damage had already been done to Silas and the team, at least by perception.

On Wednesday, in an interview with flagship radio station SportsTalk 790 in Houston, Silas attempted to set the record straight.

Here’s a portion of what Silas told Matt Thomas, who also works as the team’s radio play-by-play broadcaster:

One of the things that came out of this article about Jabari and his improvement was this piece of misinformation that he put in. He basically said that I got emotional and broke down crying because I wasn’t connecting with the players, which couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s a really disappointing thing to read and to hear about. I spoke to Brian yesterday, and he said he misremembered, or whatever.

There was a press conference my first year, where we had lost a bunch of games in a row (20), and I was emotional after the press conference. But I wasn’t crying or anything. Then, he was talking about the press conference this year where I was mad about our defense, or whatever. He just said he messed up, and there wasn’t anything he could really do to fix it. He said he was sick to his stomach that it was put in the article. He said he was going to tweet and try to fix it.

But what I told him, and what’s true… is that stuff like that is hard to take back. Once it’s out, you can’t just have a tweet, and everything’s good. It’s just not good reporting on his part. I have a relationship with him. I was quoted in the Jabari article. He wanted to ask me about it, I told him whatever he was saying was false and incorrect. It was a day of phone calls and stuff that I didn’t really want to deal with. That’s the bare bones of it. It’s just disappointing that he would write something like that, and I’m the target of it, after a rough year.

For that blatant untruth to be in the conversation is disappointing. It was supposed to be about Jabari. I don’t want it to be about me, at all. I never want it to be about me. It is what it is.

“If you ask any of the players if I have a good relationship with them or not, each guy would be like, ‘We love Coach.’ That’s one of the things I’m proud of,” Silas said of his relationships in the Houston locker room. “There have been areas of improvement. There’s been things when we get it all together, it’ll look pretty good.”

The complete interview can be listened to below.

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Immanuel Quickley outduels Kevin Porter Jr. as Knicks blast weary Rockets

Kevin Porter Jr. bounced back from an off night with 26 points on strong efficiency, but it wasn’t nearly enough on a career game by New York’s Immanuel Quickley. #Rockets

On the second night of a road back-to-back, the weary Rockets were no match for the rested Knicks in Monday’s 137-115 loss (box score) at Madison Square Garden. New York (43-33), which hadn’t played in four days, remains on course for a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs, while Houston (18-58) is still last place in the West.

With the loss, Houston clinched one of the NBA’s three worst records of the 2022-23 season, which guarantees maximum odds of securing one of the top-four draft picks determined by the 2023 lottery.

Third-year guard Immanuel Quickley set a career-high with 40 points on elite efficiency, making 14-of-17 shots (82.4%) and 5-of-7 on 3-pointers (71.4%). Quickley also dished a team-high 9 assists for the Knicks. Veteran forward Julius Randle added 26 points on 10-of-19 shooting (52.6%), including 3-of-8 on 3-pointers (37.5%).

Kevin Porter Jr. bounced back from an off night Sunday with a team-high 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting (57.1%) and 3-of-6 from 3-point range (50%), but Porter and the rest of Houston’s backcourt struggled defensively to contain Quickley. Other double-figure scorers were:

  • Jalen Green: 19 points, 4 assists; 4-of-11 shooting (36.4%), 1-of-5 on 3-pointers (20.0%), 10-of-12 on free throws (83.3%)
  • KJ Martin: 18 points, 6 rebounds; 7-of-11 shooting (63.6%), 1-of-3 on 3-pointers (33.3%)
  • Jabari Smith Jr.: 14 points, 11 rebounds, career-high 6 assists; 6-of-13 shooting (46.2%)
  • Alperen Sengun: 11 points, 5 rebounds, 5 turnovers; 5-of-9 shooting (55.6%), 1-of-1 on 3-pointers
  • Tari Eason: 13 points, 8 rebounds; 5-of-11 shooting (45.5%)
  • Josh Christopher: 12 points, 6-of-10 shooting (60.0%)

The Rockets were competitive until late in the third quarter, but the game spiraled quickly once the second unit came in. Tired legs may have also been a factor.

Scroll on for highlights, postgame interviews and reaction by Houston fans and media members. The Rockets will conclude their five-game road trip with Wednesday night’s visit to Brooklyn. The tip is again scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Central.

Jalen Green delivers in matchup with Evan Mobley, Cavaliers, but Rockets lack help

With 30 points on elite efficiency, Jalen Green did his part in a battle with fellow second-year prospect Evan Mobley in Cleveland. The #Rockets supporting cast, however, was underwhelming.

Jalen Green and the Houston Rockets lost the war in Sunday’s 108-91 road loss (box score) to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the No. 2 pick from the 2021 NBA draft may have won a battle.

In a matchup with Evan Mobley, who was selected right after Green at No. 3 in the 2021 first round, Green was outstanding with 30 points and 4 assists on 10-of-17 shooting (58.8%), including 5-of-11 on 3-pointers (45.5%). Mobley held his own with 19 points (66.7% FG), 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks, but Houston’s 21-year-old certainly did enough to make his higher selection defensible.

Ultimately, as has been the case for the 2022-23 season as a whole, the difference in the result was largely based on the supporting cast for each second-year prospect. Big man Jarrett Allen led the Cavaliers (48-28) with 24 points (72.7% FG) and 14 rebounds, while All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell added 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting (50%), including 4-of-9 on 3-pointers (44.4%).

Other than Green, it was a struggle for Houston (18-57), as is often been the case. Backcourt mate Kevin Porter Jr. struggled in his return to Cleveland, scoring just 6 points on 3-of-12 shooting (25%). Alperen Sengun had 14 points (50% FG) and 8 rebounds.

Outside of Green’s five 3-pointers, the rest of the Rockets shot 1-of-14 (7.1%) from beyond the arc, combined.

Next up for Houston on its road trip against probable 2023 playoff teams is Monday’s game at New York. In what will be the team’s final back-to-back of the 2022-23 season, tipoff against the Knicks is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Central. Until then, here’s a look at highlights, postgame interviews, and reaction by Houston fans and media members after Sunday’s loss in Cleveland.

In return to Cleveland, Rockets praise Kevin Porter Jr.’s personal growth

Sunday was Kevin Porter Jr.’s first time playing in Cleveland since being traded to Houston. Stephen Silas, Rafael Stone, and Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff all praised his personal growth.

Sunday’s matchup between the Rockets and Cavaliers was the first in Cleveland with Kevin Porter Jr. playing for Houston.

While Porter was traded by Cleveland in January 2021 after several concerning off-court incidents, an injury prevented him from playing in last season’s meeting there. Because the Rockets and Cavaliers play in different conferences, they only travel to each other’s home once per season, and the 2020-21 meeting came when Porter was still ramping up to play with Houston’s G League affiliate.

Thus, Sunday was the first on-location reunion for Porter and the franchise that drafted him in the 2019 first round. Now 22 years old and in his fourth NBA season, Porter is having statistically his best year as Houston’s starting point guard, averaging 18.6 points (43.6% FG, 35% on 3-pointers), 5.9 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game.

But with Porter, on-court production is only part of the journey. According to head coach Stephen Silas and general manager Rafael Stone, as well as former head coach J.B. Bickerstaff in Cleveland, he’s also developed on a personal level during these two-plus years.

From Sunday’s pregame media sessions, here’s what each of them had to say on Porter and his growth.

In Memphis blowout, Stephen Silas frustrated by Rockets’ lack of physicality

“We knew the physicality was going to be the number one thing,” #Rockets coach Stephen Silas says of the loss at Memphis. “We were just letting them run around wherever they wanted.”

On Friday, the Grizzlies did something they hadn’t done in a long time. They played a game that solely involved basketball.

There was no celebration of an All-Star returning from a suspension after several adolescent actions, including a verbal altercation with a 17-year-old that allegedly led to a brandished firearm. Nor was there the usual chatter and antics of guard Dillon Brooks, who was suspended for exceeding the NBA’s limit for technical fouls.

Led by Brooks and Ja Morant, the Grizzlies (46-27) played good, old-fashioned basketball. Unfortunately, the young and rebuilding Houston Rockets (18-56) were the recipients of a 151-114 annihilation from the No. 2 team in the Western Conference.

“We weren’t physical with them; they were physical with us,” said Rockets head coach Stephen Silas. “We knew the physicality was going to be the number one thing when it came to this game, and we were just letting them run around wherever they wanted.”

Houston did not look like the same team from that barely lost to Memphis, 130-125, two days earlier. They allowed the Grizzlies to do anything they wanted on the offensive end of the court, including hitting a franchise-record 25 3-pointers. Starter Desmond Bane and reserve Luke Kennard combined to make 15 attempts.

Kennard set a franchise record with 10 made 3-pointers, and he matched his career high with 30 points.

“They have two guys known for shooting in Bane and Kennard,” said Silas. “We knew that coming in. That was really the 3-point shooting.”

When the Grizzlies were not shooting lights out on Friday, they used their physicality to their advantage against a young Rockets team that seemed disorganized from the start of the game. They allowed 83 points by halftime and were trailing Memphis by 31 points.

“They came out and kind of punched us in the mouth, and we didn’t necessarily have an answer for it,” said rookie forward Tari Eason, who tied his career high with 21 points.

“That being said, they are one of the top teams in the West,” Eason added. “They’re in a place we want to get to in the coming years. We just got to learn from this. It’s unfortunate to see us lose this way, this badly. But through all these losses are lessons.”

One lesson that the Rockets need to learn from this season is how not to get so easily distracted by the game officials. On Friday, they looked to be taken out of the game mentally and physically as they complained to the referees about the lack of non-calls.

“Every time we go to the paint, it was ‘Oh, I can’t believe I didn’t get a foul call,’” Silas said postgame. “The more you do that, the more the referees aren’t going to give you any calls.”

“You got to play through that physicality and play through those things, so then they will give you the benefit of the doubt,” Silas said. “But if you continue to show up referees or raise your hands or complain, or whatever. What referee is going to give you a call? It’s not going to happen. We got to be focused on what is important, and that’s playing well, not the referees, not everything else.”

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Jabari Smith Jr. continues surge as Grizzlies blast Rockets with 151 points

#Rockets rookie Jabari Smith Jr. (20 points, 8 rebounds) continued his strong month and shot very well, but it wasn’t nearly enough versus Luke Kennard and the red-hot Grizzlies.

Two nights earlier in the FedExForum, the young and rebuilding Houston Rockets took the vaunted Memphis Grizzlies down to the wire in a closer-than-expected loss, 130-125. Friday’s rematch, however, was a much different story.

Rockets rookie Jabari Smith Jr. (20 points, 8 rebounds) continued the strongest month of his career by making 9-of-16 shots (56.3%), including 2-of-4 on 3-pointers (50.0%). But that wasn’t anywhere near enough in a 151-114 loss (box score). Off the bench, fellow rookie Tari Eason chipped in with 21 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists on 9-of-13 shooting (69.2%), tying his career scoring high.

The Grizzlies sliced open Houston’s defense, repeatedly, shooting an astonishing 25-of-42 on 3-pointers (59.5%). Luke Kennard scored 30 points off the bench on 10-of-11 shooting from 3-point range (90.9%), while Desmond Bane added 25 points with five 3-pointers. Ja Morant had 18 points and 8 assists in just 19 minutes off the bench in his second game since returning from suspension.

For Kennard, it was the most 3-pointers made in a single game of his career, and it was the most by any player in Grizzlies history. Memphis’ 151 points was tied for the most allowed in Rockets history.

Kevin Porter Jr. added 20 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds for Houston on 7-of-12 shooting (58.3%). Jalen Green added 13 points and 5 assists on 6-of-14 shooting (42.9%). Houston’s backcourt duo combined to make only 1-of-5 on 3-pointers (20%), representing an unusually low volume total, and that wasn’t nearly enough to keep up on a night where the Grizzlies were red hot throughout.

With the win, Memphis (46-27) retains its spot at No. 2 in the Western Conference standings. Houston (18-56) remains in last place and has lost four straight since its recent three-game winning streak.

Scroll on for highlights, postgame interviews, and reaction by Houston’s fans and media members. Next up is a tough back-to-back on Sunday and Monday in Cleveland and New York, respectively, with tipoff of the opener versus the Cavaliers at 5 p.m. Central.

Rockets star Jalen Green credits team approach for his recent surge

“I am really just trying to take the shots that my guys get me, instead of forcing all the time and having to jack up shots,” Jalen Green says of his recent surge. #Rockets

A lot occurred at the FedExForum on Wednesday night as the Houston Rockets took on the Memphis Grizzlies.

Memphis superstar Ja Morant returned from his eight-game suspension for violating the NBA’s code of conduct policy. Morant was suspended after posting an Instagram live stream from a Denver strip club, where he was seen waving a firearm. After undergoing multiple counseling sessions at a Florida facility, he rejoined the team.

The crowd erupted when Morant checked into the game late in the first quarter.

All-Star big man Jaren Jackson Jr. had a season-high 37 points and 10 rebounds as Memphis defeated Houston, 130-125. Rockets forward KJ Martin scored a career-high 31 points in the loss while Kevin Porter Jr. finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the second triple-double of his career.

But what stood out to fans was the continued evolution of second-year shooting guard Jalen Green, who led Houston in scoring with 32 points. He has scored 30-plus points in 13 games this season.

Over Houston’s last four outings, Green has averaged 29.2 points per game, shooting 48% from the field and 38% from 3-point range.

“Him being efficient, getting to the free-throw line, having great shot selection, it just looks like he is under control on the basketball court,” head coach Stephen Silas said of Green, the No. 2 overall pick from the first round of the NBA’s 2021 draft class. “You think about this time last year where he kind of started to get it going, it is even better now because he is doing it more efficiently.”

In short, the game is slowing down for Green. With rookie forward Jabari Smith Jr. becoming more of an offensive weapon to go along with Porter and Martin, the 21-year-old is playing more freely.

“I am really just trying to take the shots that my guys get me, instead of forcing all the time and having to jack up shots,” Green said postgame in Memphis. “Guys are locked in, setting screens, and we have been executing the offense pretty well. I think that plays a big part in how I have been scoring.”

The Rockets have a Friday rematch in Memphis before heading to Cleveland for Sunday’s game. With Green becoming more efficient and productive on both ends of the court, Houston (18-55) has won three of its last six games and five of its past 11, overall.

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