Leading up to last night’s 121-110 road loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the Houston Rockets were the hottest team in the NBA, carrying a winning streak of five games. After a 0-2 start, the Rockets picked it up big time and wowed the rest of the league with high-octane offense.
The loss to the Spurs shouldn’t be a concern, as they, too, are one of the better teams in a crowded Western Conference. Houston still has a top-three offensive rating (121.1) and top-seven defensive rating (111.3), proving it is one of the best two-way teams in the league.
The acquisition of Kevin Durant is proving to pay off in a major way. Even though the Slim Reaper is only 24 points per game (low for a player of his caliber), the Rockets’ other stars have shone bright so far.
Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson are stepping up as legitimate second and third options, while the rest of the rotation is holding its weight without Fred VanVleet, who tore his ACL before the season started.
Prior to Friday’s loss in San Antonio, Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey released a new edition of NBA power rankings, and after being ranked No. 3 the previous week, the Rockets moved up a spot amid the winning streak. They were No. 2 behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“Despite leading scorer Kevin Durant going 5-of-18 from the field and scoring just 11 points, the Rockets pounded the Memphis Grizzlies, 124-109,” Bailey wrote. “And though the Grizzlies are a mess right now, you’d think holding KD to that kind of line would give you a chance to win…
“With an aggressive, long and athletic defense and this balanced attack, the Rockets have looked about as good as anyone (but the top team) to start this season.”
Sengun is proving once again to be a versatile two-way weapon, averaging 22.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Thompson has been taking a step offensively, putting up 18 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game.
No team is expected to win every game, and Houston’s losses are against good teams. So far, the Rockets have dropped relatively tight games against the Spurs, Thunder and Detroit Pistons.
The Thunder are clearly above the rest of the NBA at the moment, but Houston isn’t too far behind. If the Rockets can continue to have momentum on both ends, they can contend with the reigning champions.