Dave Hardisty

It's more praise for Tari Eason that he's still that level of guy.

And he delivered.

And, you know, Tari's a frustrating player.

He had some decisions tonight that were questionable.

But defensively, when it mattered most, boy, did he step up.

Not great.

I think there's a reason he got a look early in the first half.

It was the earliest I've seen Imei Yudoka make a switch like that.

It was the nine and a half minute mark of the first quarter.

So Imei is typically a guy, even when games start slowly, he'll take a timeout, but then he'll stick with the same group because he wants them to learn from their mistakes to go read over a man that quickly.

felt telling, but yeah, it just comes down to the fact that he's got to make more shots.

He did hit one big bucket that finally gave the Rockets the lead in the fourth quarter, but you're just asking for way too much of his model if he's going to

even be an okay shooter.

Like, I'm not saying he shot the ball terribly the last few games, but I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I feel like the last 10 games he's been, I'd say, in the 30s rather than the 40s.

At least at this point in his career, for him to play super high leverage minutes

he's got to be in the 40s because there's just too many other warts to his game.

When I say 30s and 40s, I'm talking from three-point range.

He's got to be a marksman when he gets those open looks just because if it's not, it's going to be so easy.

It's fascinating for me, actually, to see how much Ime Udoka trusts Aaron Holiday in that Aaron cannot play an entire game, and it feels like Ime has no hesitation to put him in with, like, six minutes left in a tie game, basically.

So...