For the second time in two days, the Houston Rockets took over the Sacramento Kings at Houston’s Toyota Center. And for the second time in two days, the Rockets came out victorious. But this war a little different.
James Harden was down 30 minutes before the whistle due to a sprained right ankle. John Wall took the lead in his absence with a game-high 28 points (11-21 FG, 2-8 3PT) to lead the Rockets to a 102-94 victory over the Kings. Eric Gordon, who began to harden instead of the injured, added 21 points to the victory.
The missiles had a two-point lead in the fourth quarter. Gordon opened the final period and scored the first six points when the Rockets managed to break away from the Kings on a 9-0 run.
Although Houston had three players who scored 20 points or more, the Rockets won Saturday because of their second-half defense. The Rockets scored 64 points in the first half but held the Kings to 30 in the final 24 minutes.
So great had an offensive performance wall for missiles, his most advantageous contribution came from the defensive side of the ball. Wall recorded three flights and two blocks. After the game, he declared himself the best “shot-blocking POINT guard” of all time
Christian Holz continued his impressive start to the season against the Kings. He scored 20 points in the win, but his biggest impact came at the defensive end. He retired 15 boards (12 defensive rebounds) and added four blocks in 33 minutes of play. While the pitchers took care of business, as usual, Houston received a boost from their second unit. Rockets ‘bank transfers Kings’ reserves 23-16. Sterling Brown had 11 points and six rebounds in the win-leading all reserve players in the standings.
In the loss, De’aaron Fox scored 23 points, while Harrison Barnes added 19. With less than a minute left in the ball game, the Kings gave the Rockets a late scare by making an 8-2 run. After scoring 22 points in the previous game, Richaun Holmes ‘ Rockets held one day to 11.
According to head coach Stephen Silas, the availability of status for Monday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks is unknown. With their recent win, the Rockets are 18-16 in the all-time hard absence.