4/10 - 4/11 Rockets Games
- Jennifer Mazina
- Apr 15, 2018
- 6 min read
Rockets vs. Lakers
These last two road games of the regular season weren’t on the radar for the Rockets as super important games to win because they would still be 1st in the West no matter the outcome. They were more focused on making sure all of the players were well rested and healthy for the playoffs which are just around the corner. Nonetheless, the Rockets put in effort when they traveled to Los Angeles to play the Lakers, who were currently 11th in the Western Conference standings, on April 10th. Gordon was back in for the Rockets and starting for them was Ariza, Tucker, Clint, Harden, and Paul.
No one had scored up until the 10:22 mark when the Lakers scored and got a free throw to start the game. They took a quick 5-point lead with eight minutes left in the opening quarter. The Rockets were having a very slow start that night, and they were only 1 of 9 and had missed all 4 of their 3s so far. On that note, Harden finally knocked down the first 3 for the Rockets from the corner and they were only down by 2. Their rhythm slowly began to pick up. Paul was wide-open for their 2nd 3, and they took the lead by 1. Capela already had 8 rebounds which was tied for the most he’s had any quarter this season. Gordon over Lopez tried to make his first 3, he missed, then got the offensive rebound and a second chance for that 3, and he made it that time. The Rockets racked up points after Harden got 3 free throws, and when Paul hesitated, was left wide-open, and made another 3 taking the lead to 7 with 1:17 left. While the Rockets made some nice shots, the shooting for them and the Lakers wasn’t that great, but they took the lead 23-16.
Green hit his first 3 to start the quarter for the Rockets and they were up by 10, but Ingram, who just signed for the Lakers the previous day after an 11-year journey to the NBA, shot and made a 3 for his first shot. Ingram made another 3 after that and it’s only a 2-point game. The next possession, Wear made a 3 for the Lakers and they took the lead by 1, but Nenê scored for the Rockets and they were back out front by 1. Ingram knocked down a mid-range jumper and drew a foul tying the game 32-32. As Mbah a Moute hammered the ball in, he dislocated his shoulder so he was out for the rest of the night. It was the same shoulder that caused him to miss 15 games earlier this season. Harden knocked down another 3 and he had 11 points which matched rookie, Ingram. Harden again made a 3 followed by Green with a wide-open 3 for his 3rd taking the Rockets back to a 7-point lead. Johnson checked in for Mbah a Moute with four minutes left in the quarter. Harden brought the heat with a 2 and one which grew the lead even more to 10, and following that a selfless move for Harden when he allowed Ariza to score when he could have easily dunked the ball himself. Then, Gordon knocked down a quick 3 for his 2nd of the night. Ending out the quarter, Harden slammed it down and the ball bounced off the dome of Frye from the Lakers. The Rockets led again 56-48.
9:33 into the third quarter and the Lakers tied the game with 8 straight points and nothing for the Rockets. Caldwell-Pope made a 3 and the Lakers took the lead for an 11-0 run thus far. Ariza was the one who finally scored for the Rockets and they tied the game back up 61-61 with a corner 3 by Tucker. Ariza unable to make a 3 allowed the Lakers to be up by 5 until Tucker hit another corner 3 taking it to a 2-point game. Capela made the shot that tied the game once again 66-66 with five minutes left. A minute went by and Capela had 8 points and 10 rebounds. Harden passed to Capela again for an alley-oop after a pocket pass the previous possession and he got a double-double for his 42nd this season, and the Rockets took back the lead by 2. Ingram proving that he’s an important player for the Lakers, made another 3 which took back the lead for them. He had 3 3s made and 14 total points thus far. Unfortunately for the Lakers, Johnson knocked down a long 3 to take back the lead by 1. Green faked the 3 and instead attacked for the score and drew a foul for a 3-point play when he made the free throw. To end out the third quarter after a turnover by the Lakers, Johnson hit a 3 for their final possession and they led yet again 82-75.
Paul in the paint, scored for the first points of the fourth quarter. Even when he misses, Green always stays aggressive and takes shots. Paul scored and then scored again with a 3 this time taking the lead for the Rockets to 12. Later on, Paul ended up making an open 3 even though he was supposed to be a passer on that play. The Rockets had good ball movement and Harden had a double-double alongside Capela. Paul was getting it this quarter when he put on a show for the crowd while going through Zubac’s legs to shoot and score. With just over five minutes left in the game, Zhou checked in for the Rockets. The ball kept going back and forth after a few misses from both teams, but then Black with a crossover and drive, scored for the Rockets. Following that, Green scored as well taking it to a 12-point game with 4:08 left. The Rockets let up a little because the Lakers were only down by 4 with 2:51 left. Ingram made yet another 3 and it was only a 3-point game with little time left. Luckily, Quarterman drew a foul and made both free throws which took the lead back up to 5 for the Rockets with 32 seconds left. The Rockets won their 65th game of the season 105-99.
Rockets vs. Kings
After their last loss of the regular season, the Rockets head to the playoffs with a franchise record of 65 wins! A lot of players were out this game either resting or due to minor injuries, and this game more or less gave players that don’t normally get the chance some time on the court to better their skills. Anderson, Ariza, Capela, Harden, Mbah a Moute, Paul, Gordon, and Nenê were all out for this game as the Rockets traveled to Sacramento to play the Kings, who were currently 12th in the Western Conference standings, on April 11th for the second night of a back to back.
Starting for the Rockets was Hunter, Johnson, Green, Tucker, and Black. This was Gerald Green’s game for sure. He showed his skills and what an incredible player he really is. Although the Rockets didn’t have their star players in, they kept up with the Kings during the first quarter, but the Kings ended up with the lead at the end 28-22.
This game had players in it from the Rockets that I had never seen before including newcomer Aaron Jackson. During the second quarter, he was able to score 5 straight points for the Rockets to keep them in the game. Green ended out the second quarter with a total of 20 points which was incredible. Unfortunately, the Kings picked up their pace even more and led by 8 points ending out the half 52-44.
The Kings slowly took the lead further and further and eventually ended the third quarter with a 16-point lead at 79-63. Although Green and Black were playing amazingly, it just wasn’t a match to how the Kings were playing. Green at this point had 31 points and Black had 10.
The Rockets signed Hunter to a two-way contract in January. They brought him up from their Rio Grande Valley G League affiliate, and he has had several chances to play during this season for the Rockets. During this game, he showed just what he had to offer. Ending out the game, even though it was a loss for the Rockets, Hunter had a total of 19 points. Black had a total of 12 points and Green never scored again during this quarter and still had a total 31 points. The Kings won 96-83 but the Rockets were beyond ready for the playoffs to begin just like I am.
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