Rockets show how they can be 'one of best teams in NBA' with win over Thunder

Ashley Landis/Associated Press

With an emphatic win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, the Houston Rockets secured their first playoff berth since the 2019-2020 season. With another Friday night against the NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder, they proved that they belong.

Houston beat the Western Conference’s top seed 125-11 behind strong performances from Jalen Green (34 points) and Alperen Şengün (31 points) while holding Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to 22 points and 10-for-22 from the field. The win inches the Rockets closer to earning the conference’s No. 2 seed, shrinking their magic number to two with four games to play.

“[The win] shows when we’re on point, we’re paying attention to the details and playing hard, we’re one of the best teams in the NBA,” Green said. “If we do this consistently and play hard, hit shots, it’s pretty hard to guard.”

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With Dillon Brooks serving his one-game suspension for technical foul accumulation, coach Ime Udoka opted to start Houston’s double-big lineup for the first time and put both Şengün and Steven Adams on the floor. The choice matched that of Oklahoma City head coach Mark Daigneault, who also rolled out two bigs in Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. Udoka’s decision gave Adams his first start as a Rocket and marked the first time he used the lineup against the Western Conference’s top seed after not playing both bigs together until late in the year.

“With me and Steven starting today, that was a plan to set the tone in the beginning of the game,” Şengün said.

The duo succeeded in setting that tone early. Houston dominated the paint with both Şengün and Adams in, which also allowed Green to attack the paint. Behind several aggressive driving layups by Green, turnaround buckets from Şengün and some uncharacteristic turnovers from the Thunder, the Rockets got out to a three-point lead.

“It brings physicality, obviously,” Udoka said of the lineup. “I think that was one of our most physical games from the start. I loved the aggressiveness and attention to detail on the game plan. [Şengün and Adams] do a good job, obviously, of pounding the glass and getting those second opportunities. It was more of what they’ve been doing and what we’ve been seeing all year from them.”

Both Şengün and Adams came out halfway through the quarter as both teams went small. That allowed the Rockets to push the pace. Houston continued to force quick shots and Oklahoma City turnovers, allowing it to outscore the Thunder 12-0 in fastbreak points in the first period. A Tari Eason transition alley to Green, who promptly threw down a ferocious reverse dunk, highlighted those points and captivated the Toyota Center crowd. A Şengün steal on the other end led to Green getting fouled on a three, which allowed Houston to push their lead to double digits.

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Ten consecutive points from Gilgeous-Alexander kept Oklahoma City in the game. But the five early turnovers from the league’s most secure team (11.1 per game) allowed the Rockets to run out to a 35-28 lead after one.

Houston’s hot stretch continued into the second quarter and was helped mightily by the double big lineup. Shortly after Şengün reentered the game a few minutes into the quarter, the Rockets went on a 14-0 run to give them a 20-point lead. Eight points from Şengün to give him a game-leading 19 in the first half.

The forward said he wanted to “dominate the game” and was making himself mad pregame to do so. It didn’t take much to rile himself up, Şengün said, as the level of competition he was about to face had his emotions flowing.

“They’re a good team, they have good players,” Şengün said. “I’m just making myself mad. I’m saying ‘I’m gonna kill it tonight. Whoever guarding me, I’m just gonna dominate. I’m gonna just be physical all night.’ ”

Şengün’s mentality worked as he posted his second-highest point total since the All-Star break and tied his third highest this season. The forward consistently backed down Holmgren in the paint for easy buckets before Oklahoma City switched strategy. Şengün then became a facilitating force as he picked up four assists on the night.

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It was Houston’s defense and lights-out shooting from deep that gave the Rockets their biggest lead over their conference rivals of the season. They shot 6-for-11 from 3-point range in the second quarter, including two from Amen Thompson who also had eight points in the period.

A 7-0 run to end the quarter brought the Thunder back within 20 points. But Houston still led 69-53 going into half, Oklahoma City’s second-highest halftime deficit of the season.

Much of the Rockets’ first-half success came from handling Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s leading scorer (32.8 points per game) and top MVP candidate. The guard did not score outside of his 10-point first quarter stretch. He also didn’t take a free-throw attempt, which he averages the second-most per game (9.0) in the NBA this season.

“It was tough,” Udoka said of defending Gilgeous-Alexander. “He gets a push off and the bumps and all that, and you just have to stay solid and contest. I think the main thing was being in his rear view, showing him a crowd when he comes off those pick-and-rolls and guys did a great job there. It was a big part [of the win], limiting his threes, limiting his free throws and you can kind of hold him in check from there.”

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The Thunder rounded more into its strong form out of the half, though Houston did its best to weather the storm. A 10-4 Oklahoma City run was retorted by a 13-6 run by the Rockets to get their lead back up to 20. But seven late points by Gilgeous-Alexander shrunk Houston’s lead to just 11 points at 96-85 going into the final period. The guard earned his first trip to the line in the waning minutes of the quarter on a controversial foul call on Thompson, of which he made 1-of-2 from the line.

While Oklahoma City got strong play from Holmgren, who had 20 points and a career-high six 3s, and Jalen Williams (33 points) in the fourth quarter, it was not enough to dig itself out of its deficit. The Thunder couldn’t shrink Houston’s lead to more than nine as Green and Şengün continued to dominate. Fourteen points from Green kept the Rockets ahead of a barrage from Williams before a Şengün slam dunk served as a de facto dagger with two and a half minutes left.

As Houston unloaded its bench in the closing moments of the game, its starters received a roar from the home crowd and congratulations from each other as they made their way to the bench.

“That’s what winning does,” Green said of the mood surrounding the team. “I would describe it like that. It’s togetherness, we’re on the same wavelength, same vibe. We all have the same goal: chasing something.”

The win ends Oklahoma City’s 11-game winning streak and and road victory stretch at 12. It also marks Houston’s first win over the Thunder of the new year, with their lone victory this season having come in their Dec. 1 matchup.

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Houston also claims home-court advantage for their opening playoff series with the win, as they can no longer finish below a top-four seed in the West.

“That’s good, man,” Şengün said. “There’s a lot of good teams in the West. It’s not going to be easy, we already know that, and that’s a really good advantage for us to get the home court. We play hard in the home court, nobody wants to lose in the home court so it’s good to hear that.”

While another goal is now secure, the Rockets still have more they want to achieve with four games to go in the regular season. Their conquest of the No. 2 seed will continue on the road Sunday against the Golden State Warriors, another team in contention for the spot.

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Rockets show how they can be ‘one of best teams in NBA’ with win over Thunder

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