ROCKETS 114, THUNDER 110

Jae'Sean Tate leads Rockets to 4th straight win beating Thunder, 114-110

Jae'Sean Tate leads Rockets to 4th straight win beating Thunder, 114-110
Jae'Sean Tate had himself a night. Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.

No Christian Wood. No Kevin Porter Jr. No Jalen Green. No problem. Jae’ Sean Tate became a complete superhero for the Houston Rockets versus the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night.

He recorded 32 points, 10 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 5.0 blocks, and 2.0 steals and shot 73 percent from the field. With that stat line, he joined former Rocket Hakeem Olajuwon and other historic big men from the past, which Tim MacMahon reported.

Tate is known for his leadership and the ability to be humble. When a reporter asked Tate about the stat line, he said, “How many turnovers? Nah, 25 assists, that’s what sup! Can’t be mad at that.” An expression like that shows the importance of putting his teammates first before taking all the shine. Tate is providing more passion with communication and being the rock that the "Baby Rockets" can lean on.

Coach Silas' confidence in Tate is something built from last year and it shows. Those two have constant dialogue throughout the game, and it’s seen before the huddle or when Silas is standing on the sideline before he calls a play. Silas has run consistent sets for Tate, as he did that within the 15-game losing streak. He dialed up an out of bounds action with 33.4 seconds left, so Tate could make a clutch layup towards the rim.

“Long, long, long ago in his rookie year…we definitely have a bond and with those two guys out, we needed some scoring,” Silas said. “He was the guy who was playing the hardest from start to finish and down the stretch we ran that elbow iso for him. And he just went through his defender and finished. And he made some huge plays in the 4th quarter, which is what you need. Yeah, I trust him as much as anybody else, and he has earned that, and he deserves it.”

“That just shows the confidence Coach Silas, and my teammates have in me,” said Tate. “We lost some of our primary guys tonight. And not only me, but everybody also stepped up.”

His usage rating is slowly going up, which is posted at 18.9 percent per NBA stats. In isolation, Tate is averaging 1.00 points per possession, which puts him in the 75th percentile(!) per NBA stats. Tate is seeing more action out of the corner, so it can allow him to get to his left hand on offense. The elbow iso action is a play that Tate has run since high school, college, overseas, and in the NBA now. He mentioned that the set allows him to get comfortable when his number is called.

“That’s not my primary role and I think everyone knows that,” Tate said. “I am very confident [in] what I bring to the table offensively. Not only scoring wise but seeing the floor and being able to make [a] decision in space. And that kind of helps me when they overlook the scouting report.”

“[I've] been running that play since I was [in] high school. At Ohio St. I ran that. Even when I was overseas, Will Weaver, that was a play he put in. To have that called tonight, it felt familiar and it’s one of my strengths. And playing in the mid-post area and getting to my left hand.”

Tate was excellent for the Rockets on both sides of the ball, as he had a 116.9 offensive and 108.5 defensive rating with an 82.5 percent in true shooting versus the Thunder. Hopefully, Tate can be the leading catalyst again, as the Rockets face the Orlando Magic and New Orleans Pelicans, which are winnable games. It should become a six-game winning streak, as John Wall might play if his condition is right.

Up next: The Rockets face the Orlando Magic on Friday night.

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Rockets fall to Warriors.Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images.

Jonathan Kuminga scored a career-high 33 points and made two crucial layups over the final 1:04, and the Golden State Warriors snapped a five-game losing streak by beating the Houston Rockets 99-93 on Thursday night.

Andrew Wiggins added 23 points and Brandin Podziemski grabbed 12 rebounds for the Warriors in the opening game of a home back-to-back.

Golden State was missing starters Stephen Curry and Draymond Green because of injuries — Curry out to manage his painful knees and Green nursing tightness in his left calf. Both are likely to return Friday.

Wiggins had been questionable with an impingement in his right ankle.

Alperen Sengun had 16 points and eight rebounds to lead Houston.

Warriors nemesis Dillon Brooks started 1 for 6 and missed his initial four 3-point attempts before finishing with 15 points.

Takeaways

Rockets: The NBA fined Rockets coach Ime Udoka and Sengun for their actions leading to ejections in a 120-111 loss at Sacramento on Tuesday night, and forward Tari Eason for an interaction with a fan following the game. Udoka was fined $50,000 for confronting and directing profane language toward a game official, failing to leave the court in a timely manner after being ejected and public criticism of the officiating during his postgame news conference.

Warriors: Kevon Looney earned his second start of the season and had 11 rebounds.

Key moments

Wiggins hit a 3 and was fouled for a four-point play that tied the game at 40 with 3:29 left before halftime, then converted another four-point play with 12.2 seconds remaining in the half as the Warriors took a 49-43 lead into the break.

Key stats

The Warriors held their ground in the low post against Steven Adams, scoring 52 points in the paint and outrebounding the Rockets 54-45.

Up next

Houston visits the Clippers on Sunday, while the Warriors host the Timberwolves on Friday and again Sunday.

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