Cutting it close
The Rockets report, brought to you by APG&E: Rockets escape Atlanta with narrow 122-115 victory
Jan 8, 2020, 9:59 pm
Photo by Getty Images
Even without Russell Westbrook and James Harden shooting as badly as he did (9 of 34 from the field), Houston's effort from the end of the second quarter onwards was truly dissapointing. This was a game the Rockets should have won going away, but they allowed Atlanta to climb back into it and make it close at the end.
By halftime, it really looked like the Rockets were going to repeat their last performance against the Hawks. Harden was rolling (29 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds) and the Rockets had a strong 77-62 lead.
Then the Rockets went on to miss a barrage of three-pointers (5 of 27 from three-point range) and fell off a cliff defensively, giving Atlanta a window to make this game close.
It also didn't help that Houston didn't have an answer for Trae Young, who had a career night tallying 42 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, and 1 block on 55.4% true shooting.
Star of the game: Clint Capela was a matchup nightmare for Atlanta all night. The Hawks had no answer for Capela sprinting down the court and being an engaged lob threat. Capela ended the game with 22 points, 22 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals on 9 of 14 shooting from the field and 4 of 4 shooting from the free throw line.
Honorable mention: Normally James Harden logging 41 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals would be more than enough to earn him star of the night. The problem was that did all this on 9 of 34 shooting from the field and 4 of 20 shooting from three-point range. Harden had 22 points in the first quarter on good efficiency, but shot 3 or 24 shooting from quarters two through four.
Key moment: After taking a 23-point lead in the second quarter, the Rockets completely let go of the rope in the third quarter.
Up next: The Rockets travel to Oklahoma City on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. to play Thunder in what will be an emotional homecoming for star guard Russell Westbrook.
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The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!