Paulo Alves

And so Tari and Jabari, you don't think of them as, you know, off the bounce, off the dribble, creative types.

But if the defense is overplaying the passing lanes, trying to get those steals, then guys that...

You know, you wouldn't think of them as shot creators offensively are going to have opportunities, especially when they're loading up against Kevin Durant.

They're loading up against Alperen Shingun, who was in double digits in assists.

So credit to him.

He used his gravity effectively.

I think, you know, this was a good counter from the Rockets.

And I'm not going to say that you should assume that they figured it out against the Thunder because defensively, the challenge is going to go way up when they have SGA and J-Dub.

But offensively, it was really ugly in that opening game at the start of the year.

It was better tonight primarily because they could trust Tari and Jabari to make plays off the dribble.

I think that's essential against a defense like the Thunder and how aggressively they play on the perimeter.

So I think this was a huge game for the Rockets confidence-wise, both short-term, just getting the stench off of the past few days, and then against the Thunder.

I do think at least on the offensive end of the court, it gives the Rockets something that they can build upon moving forward.

And then a very odd game from Reed Shepard.

Early in the game, defensively, he was terrible.

That was a big part of how the Rockets dug that 15-point hole.

And he had four turnovers that were just killers, including one with like three minutes left when Rockets had a chance to put the game away.

Instead, next thing you know, the Thunder get a transition layup and it's back down to four.

I think they end up cutting it to two.

But Reed was seven of 12, 16 points, six assists, and he only made one three.