Rockets Game 3/82,
opponent: 0-2 Utah Jazz
Headline: 19 point comeback to get to 3-0
Game Grade: B, considering 2nd of back to back and on the road (really 1st half: F, 2nd half: A)
Watching the first half play by the Rockets was rough, and even rougher when your city doesn't have a major cable deal with it's basketball team and you have to watch an online feed with Matt Harpring as the color commentator. It was brutal. At one point saying something along the lines of "it looks like Howard has brought the Holywood to Houston" after the Rockets got caught a few times catching their breath and playing sloppy D, I can't stand the guy, at least when the Rockets are getting their butt kicked, I didn't mind as much later in the game, funny...
1st quarter: Ugly
The jazz went on a 10-0 run early taking a 10-3 lead, it was clear that they wanted to slow down the pace any way that they could. The Rockets fought a little and at the 6:08 mark the Jazz took a timeout 12-9 Utah. Howard was pretty terrible in the first half, coming into the game he averaged 27 rebounds but was no where close to that pace. The red team looked tired and the Asik/Howard combo was slow, they are still figuring each other out, that is to be expected, but it’s just awful to watch. 24-16 Jazz after 1.
2nd quarter: Jeremy Lin sucks on defense
That is why he goes for so many steals, there was a stretch in the 2nd quarter though where he was responsible for 7 jazz points in a row. The entire team looked dead but it really exposed Lin on the hustle side. Parsons makes his 1st 3 pointer of the season and ends the half with 20 points, obviously carrying the team(or dragging, which ever). James struggled to do anything and the Utah bigs Kanter and Favors dominated the glass, the Jazz out rebounding Rockets 27 to 12. As Houston struggled, guys like Alec Burks, Enes Kanter(fellow Turkey teammate to Asik), Richard Jefferson, and Bellaire High School grad Houston's own John Lucas III where having great games, the Jazz were looking good and I was foreseeing sportscenter "Howard and Asik Slowing Down Rockets". 56-40 Jazz.
3rd quarter: YAY Points!
After the first half Kevin mcHale called it the worst half they have ever played, and I can 2nd that motion. 1st play of the half James Harden gets a foul and 2 free throws. Soon after that we get a scare as he seems to have either twisted or rolled his ankle, seeing that he kept playing(and well) I am assuming it was just a rolled ankle. The Rockets shot a lot of free throws to get going, Parsons hitting 2 with 7:50 left to make it a 50-58 game. Basically Harden went off and Garcia started hitting 3’s. The Rockets were playing fun basketball, Dwight got going, the Hustle from everyone on D was better and the Half finished tied 73-73.
4th quarter: The Rockets play basketball
The jazz had done a great job of slowing down the game and getting points from everyone in the first half but the Rockets “decided to show up” and the pace was right back how they like it. Houston went on a tear of fast breaks and 3’s(It IS what they do) finishing the game with 21 fast break points to Utah’s 8 and 9/22 from 3 to Utah’s 4/22. The dagger play happened when the Rockets tipped the ball into the jazz backcourt, John Lucas recovered it and shot up a long heave only to have it rebounded and launched to a snow birding Garcia for a layup, 99-90 Houston Lead. Howard and Harden made a couple free throws in the final minutes and the Rockets get out of Utah with a win playing 2 completely different halves.
Notes:
The Rockets get their 10th biggest come back in their History, 1st largest against the Jazz. Listening to Matt Harpring lightened up in the second half, to their credit the half time analyst was “real”. No Caspi. This was a fun one to watch, to see a team look so bad that I consider re thinking my expectations, to blowing the roof off the Jazz and getting a tough road win on the end of a back to back. This was impressive, I have a feeling we are going to have a lot of comebacks this season, so lets remind ourselves to chill out after the 1st half(I’m talking to myself). Great win, Go Rockets.
Next Game: Monday the 4th 9:30 pm vs The LA CLippers
Box Score
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