On Saturday, Feb. 1, the Houston Rockets hosted the Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets grabbed an early advantage and never looked back, handling the Rockets and securing a 110-98 victory in Houston.
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Jalen Green led the Rockets in scoring, finishing with 29 points on 11-for-24 shooting. Dillon Brooks was the team’s second-leading scorer with 16.
After a back-and-forth first quarter, the Rockets relented a 27-15 second quarter that gave the Nets an insurmountable 15-point lead heading into the locker room. A couple of fourth quarter highlights gave the Houston faithful a moment of optimism, but Brooklyn kept them at arm’s length and left the Toyota Center with a double-digit win.
Houston was somewhat shorthanded tonight, as freshly-named All-Star center Alperen Sengun missed his second consecutive game with a calf injury. Forward Jabari Smith also wasn’t available, as he continues to recover from a fractured left hand.
Starting guard Fred VanVleet also exited the game early, after coming up liming in the second quarter.
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After the loss, Rockets Head Coach Ime Udoka said he didn’t think having Sengun would have made a difference in the night’s underwhelming outcome.
“When we don’t show up to play, regardless, we can’t rely on him,” Udoka said in the post-game press conference. “The energy and the effort and the, you know, ball movement, the pace and everything was off tonight from the start. I don’t think Alpi was going to be a remedy for that.”
The Nets also played with cohesive scoring, with six total players finishing with 13 or more points. The Rockets were much more top-heavy, as Green carried the offensive load. He and Brooks were the only Rockets players to break that 13-point threshold.
Udoka didn’t hold back with his thoughts on the team’s offensive output.
“You’ve gotta have a certain number of guys come to play with some intensity and some want, desire, every night” he said. “When you don’t, that’s the result.”
The loss drops Houston to a 32-16 record on the season, while Brooklyn jumps to a 16-33 mark.
Tonight’s matchup was the Rockets’ first meeting with the Nets in the 2024-25 season, and the cross-conference squads will play again in Brooklyn on Tuesday, Feb. 4.
Game recap
VanVleet got the scoring going for the Rockets, burying a three-pointer on the game’s opening possession. From there, the teams traded blows and bricks in the game’s opening minutes, and D’Angelo Russell knocked down a step-back three to give Brooklyn a 13-11 lead at the midway point of the first quarter. Nets’ forward Tosan Evbuomwan knocked down a three-ball of his own in the closing seconds of the quarter to give Brooklyn a 26-23 lead at the end of one.
The Rockets began to struggle shooting the ball in the second, and the Nets started the quarter on a 6-0 scoring run, prompting a timeout from Udoka. Steven Adams kept the Rockets afloat, scoring the team’s first six points of the period, before Eason knocked down a three-ball to cut the Nets’ lead down to 36-32. Three-pointers by Green and Aaron Holiday brought Houston within striking distance, but empty Rockets possessions allowed the Nets to keep stretching their lead. At the break, Brooklyn had a commanding 53-38 lead.
The Rockets shot a ghastly 15-44 (34%) from the field in the first half. Meanwhile, the Nets shot 21-43 (49%). Green led the Rockets in scoring with nine points, followed by Adams who had eight.
Houston showed some offensive life in the opening minutes of the third, but the Nets consistently matched their scores to bolster their cushiony advantage. Brooks converted on a pair of Rockets layups to make the score 68-55, but the Nets responded with a quick 6-2 scoring run to shut the door on any red and white momentum. With the score at 76-57, the Rockets took another timeout. Houston put rookie guard Reed Sheppard on the floor in the quarter’s waning moments, and he swished a deep, buzzer-beating three-pointer to make the score 83-64 heading into the final quarter. Reed’s highlight caused a thunderous applause that you’ll rarely see when a home team is trailing by 19 points.
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Things continued to look bleak for the Rockets initially, but Jalen Green and Adams spearheaded a 7-2 scoring run to bring Houston within 15 points. After Green swished a three, the Nets took a timeout with 8:27 left in the game. Green continued to be Houston’s offensive engine, driving inside for layups and converting at the line when he drew contact. However, the Nets did more than enough on both ends to ensure their lead was secure, and they rolled to the 110-98 victory.