- The Houston Rockets wasted no time setting a defensive tone in Saturday's 117-103 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Dillon Brooks recorded the first of the Rockets' nine steals 20 seconds into the first quarter, which converted into Jalen Green assisting Jabari Smith Jr. for a one-handed dunk.
Brooks' steal set a defensive tone against the Cavaliers. They would force Cleveland into committing 16 turnovers. But more importantly, Houston's defensive play inside the Toyota Center showcased why the team has been dominant amid their 7-1 record in March.
The Rockets held the Cavaliers to a dozen triples while holding their All-Star backcourt of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell to a combined 25 points on 9 of 26 shooting. Houston's defensive play was a 180 from its early season defeat to the Cavaliers, where Mitchell recorded an efficient 37 points on Dec. 18.
"I think it was great — I think when you look at the last game against them, specifically [Cleveland] hitting 19 threes and the numbers that they get up," coach Ime Udoka said. "[Cleveland] only getting up 38 [threes] tonight. The job on Mitchell and Garland was really good, 4-13 there [and] 5-13. You know he (Mitchell) had 37 on us last time so the focus was right.
"I think the switching affected them and forced them to play a lot more one-on-one. [We] did a good job with all the bodies we had. Loved our effort defensively from the start and specifically in the third quarter to come out with that start and really kind of put it away early there. It was a great win for us."
The Rockets have arguably been the best team in the league, finishing top-10 in nearly every statistical category. However, defense has been at the forefront of Houston's recent success.
They have possessed the league's fourth-best defense, averaging a defensive rating of 108.3 over the last eight games. Green has contributed to Houston's defensive production amid his best offensive performances, averaging 24.6 points on 49.0 percent shooting from the field since March 2.
Against the Cavaliers, Green recorded a team-best 11 rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. The third-year guard said his defensive production has been his top priority since Houston began its late push toward the Play-In Tournament.
"I think we've been playing really good," Green said. "Defense has been our main priority because we're very talented offensively when we get out in transition and run. It's very hard to guard us, so it all starts with defense. So, I think we've been really good."
Houston's defensive improvements down the stretch of the season has the Rockets three games back of the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers for the 10th and final Play-In spot in the Western Conference.
Udoka revealed he does not talk to his team about the Western Conference standings. He believes his players already understands what's at stake, while his top priority is to continue pushing the team to play its best ball on both ends.
"There's no quit in this group — it's a resilient group," Fred VanVleet said. "Coming down the stretch here we understand what's at stake if we want to have a real shot, we kind of have to play our best these last couple of weeks, and I think the group has found that swag and that energy as we make a little push here."
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