The Houston Rockets are proving that they firmly belong in the title conversation after weeks of elite two-way basketball. Most recently, they proved they could without their star scorer in Kevin Durant, defeating a hot Phoenix Suns team 114-92 on Monday night.
The Rockets still own the NBA’s top offensive rating (122.5) and moved up to fifth in defensive rating after the win (111.1). While Houston has been known for efficient scoring and second-chance opportunities on the offensive end, the defense was on full display in Phoenix, reverting back to what helped the team win last season before Durant arrived.
Prior to the road victory, NBA.com’s John Schuhmann released this week’s power rankings, and the Rockets remained at No. 3. Houston is still behind the Denver Nuggets (No. 2) and Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 1), which makes sense considering they are two of the Rockets’ four losses thus far.
“The Rockets remain one of three teams – the Nuggets and Thunder are the others – that haven’t lost a game that wasn’t within five points in the last five minutes,” Schuhmann wrote.
“They’re now 4-4 in the clutch after scoring just 10 points on 12 clutch possessions (with Kevin Durant shooting 0-for-3 and Alperen Sengun committing two turnovers) against Denver. Overall, they rank eighth in clutch offense (116.0 points scored per 100 possessions) after ranking 18th (106.6) last season.”
The 112-109 NBA Cup loss to the Nuggets was disheartening, but the Rockets proved that even after a 12-point first quarter, they could come back and make the game interesting. Houston has not only seen production from Durant and Sengun, but the supplementary players.
Amen Thompson most recently put up 28 points, seven rebounds and eight assists against the Suns, while Jabari Smith Jr. has been an impressive two-way rebounder, averaging 15.1 points and 6.9 boards per game.
Reed Sheppard, however, has been the biggest bright spot off the bench. The second-year guard has stepped up in the absence of Fred VanVleet, taking on his role of facilitating on one end while disrupting point guards on the other.
“Reed Sheppard played more minutes than Adams and Josh Okogie (the previous starter) combined on Friday, scoring a career-high 27 points on 9-for-13 shooting against Denver,” Schuhmann wrote. “Sheppard has still played just 31 total minutes alongside the four full-time starters, with the Rockets having allowed just 61 points on 63 defensive possessions (97 per 100) in those minutes.”
The Rockets will play one more road game without Durant, who is dealing with a family matter. Houston will take on the Golden State Warriors before seeing the Utah Jazz for a two-game series.