HEARTBREAKING DEFEAT
Houston Rockets collapse as Nets steal victory in final seconds
Feb 4, 2025, 10:02 pm
Nets defeat the Rockets, 99-97. Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images.
Keon Johnson and D'Angelo Russell made 3-pointers in the final 10 seconds, and the Brooklyn Nets stunned the Houston Rockets 99-97 on Tuesday night for their first home victory in two months.
LATE-GAME HEROICS IN BROOKLYN 🤯🤯
BACK-TO-BACK 3PM FROM KEON & DLO GIVE THE NETS THE VICTORY!! pic.twitter.com/tO8ahx3D1A
— NBA (@NBA) February 5, 2025
Brooklyn trailed 97-93 when Tosan Evbuomwan inbounded the ball to Johnson, who made a 3 from the wing with 8.1 seconds left. Houston's Amen Thompson then threw an inbounds pass that skipped past Dillon Brooks, and Evbuomwan tipped it to Russell, who buried a 3 to put the Nets ahead with 3.4 seconds remaining.
Jalen Green missed a deep 3 at the buzzer for the Rockets as Brooklyn (17-33) ended its 11-game skid at Barclays Center.
Johnson scored 22 points, and Evbuomwan and Nic Claxton each scored 14. Russell had 10 points on 3-of-15 shooting.
Alperen Sengun had 24 points and 20 rebounds while Reed Sheppard and Brooks each finished with 16 for the Rockets (32-18), who have lost four straight — two to Brooklyn — since a four-game winning streak that included two wins over Cleveland and one against Boston.
Takeaways
Rockets: Thompson was named the Western Conference Player of the Month for January. Thompson, who on Tuesday was selected to the NBA Rising Stars Challenge, averaged 1.4 blocks and 2.2 steals over 12 games last month, the only player to average at least two steals and one block during that time.
Nets: Brooklyn swept the season series from the Rockets for the first time since 2022-23.
Key moment
The Nets were down by nine points midway through the third quarter and responded with a 14-0 run in which Claxton and Tyrese Martin did all the scoring.
Key stat
Brooklyn’s last victory at Barclays Center was on Dec. 4 against Indiana.
Up next
Brooklyn continues its six-game homestand Wednesday against Washington. Houston visits Minnesota on Thursday.
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The Astros dropped a tough one Tuesday night, falling 4–2 to the White Sox after slipping behind early. But before anyone reaches for the panic button, take a breath — this team may not look like the dominant, late-inning machine from 2022, but there are still reasons to believe something bigger could be brewing.
In this episode, we unpack what this loss really means and why the bigger picture still matters. Despite a wave of injuries, the Astros are hanging a few games over the .500 mark — a feat that may be more impressive than it seems on the surface.
We take a closer look at Lance McCullers Jr., who’s no longer fighting for a spot at the back of the rotation. His stuff looks sharper, and his role as a solid No. 3 is starting to take shape. We also spotlight Ryan Gusto, a young arm who might quietly become a key piece down the stretch.
The offense hasn’t exploded the way fans hoped, but maybe that’s the point — Houston is still in the fight, and in some ways, overachieving considering the circumstances. Rookie Cam Smith is settling in nicely at the big-league level, and although Christian Walker has underwhelmed, Isaac Paredes has emerged as one of the top third basemen in the American League. Plus, let's not forget Yordan Alvarez should be returning in short order to give the offense a lift.
And yes, it’s early, but we can’t help but wonder… could this be the start of another World Series run? After all, the Astros were swept by the White Sox in 2017 — and we all remember how that story ended.
Be sure to watch the video below as ESPN Houston's John Granato and Lance Zierlein weigh in!
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