Just one day after suffering one of their biggest losses of the season, the Houston Rockets bounced back with a clutch victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves with Kevin Durant's best scoring performance this year.
The Houston Rockets have been going through a tough stretch of games since the calendar turned to December. The Rockets were 13-4 heading into December, but also had one of the easiest schedules in the NBA in the first two months of the season.
The Houston Rockets were in no position to take the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves lightly on Friday, even with Anthony Edwards unavailable while managing a lingering foot injury.
The Houston Rockets are in a slump. They have the look of a play-in tournament team. And based on their record and conference standing (23-15 and sixth in the Western Conference), they may find themselves in the play-in tournament.
It's hard for everything to go right in the NBA, whether that's due to managerial decisions, bad luck with injuries, or other factors. In league history, there are some moments that stand out, moments that could have gone in a completely different direction and drastically changed the league.
The Rockets got back on the winning track on Friday night with a 110-105 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were playing without Anthony Edwards.
The sign of a legitimate contending team is the ability to beat up on bottom-feeding teams. The 2017-18 Houston Rockets used to bully inferior opponents.
Kevin Durant went viral for his reaction towards Rudy Gobert airballing a free throw during the Houston Rockets’ matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.
Kevin Durant capped a 39-point performance by sinking four free throws in the final minute as the Houston Rockets sealed a 110-105 victory over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
By now, it's clear that the Houston Rockets' lack of a true point guard has hindered the season, especially as of late. Since Dec. 1, they've gone 10-11, ranking 10th in offensive rating and 16th in defensive rating.
It has not been a straightforward season filled with fulfilled expectations for most teams around the NBA, and the Houston Rockets can now be added to that list.
Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant is widely regarded as one of the best pure scorers in NBA history. Durant is a two-time NBA champion, the 2014 Most Valuable Player, a two-time NBA Finals MVP, 15-time All-Star, four-time Olympic gold medal winner and four-time scoring champion.
The Houston Rockets were happy to be back home after a tough stretch on the road, losing all three games on their latest three-game road trip. The Rockets have actually been on the road a lot since the start of December, having played 13 of 19 games on the road heading into the first of five straight on Tuesday against the Bulls.
The Houston Rockets initiated a challenging stretch of home games on Thursday with a rematch of their double-overtime thriller against the Oklahoma City Thunder that served as the season opener for both teams on Oct.
It has been more than 15 years since Yao Ming last played in the NBA. His final game for the Houston Rockets was on Nov. 10, 2010, in a loss against the Washington Wizards.
The Houston Rockets are still trying to figure out who they want to be. Team broadcaster Craig Ackerman remarked this week that the Rockets haven’t been playing “Rocket basketball’’ of late.