Stephen A. Smith issues a strong warning about the surging Houston Rockets

STRONG WORDS

Stephen A. Smith issues a strong warning about the surging Houston Rockets
The Rockets are coming. Composite Getty Image.

The Houston Rockets are coming off their ninth-straight win and are now officially challenging the Golden State Warriors. Houston is currently only a half game behind the Warriors and could knock them out of the play-in.

In the video above, Stephen A. Smith makes his case that the Rockets are beneficiaries of someone in the Celtics organization that was out to ruin coach Ime Udoka's career.

Also, he discusses how Jalen Green playing with his hair on fire, and the Rockets are executing at an elite level in the month of March. Smith believes this is all because of Udoka and the culture he's building in Houston.

Stephen A. finishes the video with a warning to the league: “The Rockets are coming. And it's because of Ime Udoka. Remember I said that.”

Be sure to watch the short video above for the full discussion.

Editor's note: Stephen A.'s video was recorded before the Rockets won their ninth-straight game on Monday night.

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The Astros beat the Angels, 3-2. Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images.

Mauricio Dubón scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the 10th inning, Jeremy Peña and Isaac Paredes opened the game with home runs, and the Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-2 on Friday night.

Peña led off the 10th with a single that advanced automatic runner Dubón to third. Dubón scored when Hunter Strickland, who hadn’t allowed a run in 14 2/3 innings of his first 13 appearances with the Angels, threw a pitch behind the back of Paredes.

Houston closer Josh Hader (5-1) retired the side in order in the ninth and Bennett Sousa retired three straight batters in the 10th for his second save.

Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi gave up home runs to Pena and Paredes for a 2-0 Astros lead in the held the Astros to four hits, striking out nine and walking none, for the rest of his seven-inning start.

Jo Adell trimmed Houston’s lead to 2-1 in the fourth with a 426-foot homer off Astros starter Hunter Brown. Angels rookie Christian Moore, a first-round pick out of Tennessee in 2024, tied it 2-2 with his first major league homer to open the seventh.

Tempers flared in the third when Brown hit Angels shortstop Zach Neto in the elbow with a 95-mph sinker. Both benches and bullpens emptied, but no punches were thrown, and order was quickly restored.

Key Moment

Astros center fielder Jake Meyers raced to the gap in left-center to make a spectacular, full-extension diving catch of Adell’s drive with a runner on first base and one out in the bottom of the eighth to preserve a 2-2 tie.

Key Stat

The home runs by Peña and Paredes marked the first time in three years the Astros have opened a game with two homers. Jose Altuve and Peña last accomplished the feat on July 24, 2022 at Seattle.

Up Next

Astros LHP Brandon Walter (0-0, 1.53 ERA) opposes Angels RHP José Soriano (4-5, 3.54) on Saturday night.

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