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Chapter 1: What were the highlights of the Rockets' win against the Hawks?
Welcome in, everybody, to the Clutch Fans Live postgame show. Rockets get a win, 104-86 in Atlanta, the second game of a back-to-back for both teams, actually. A very shorthanded Atlanta Hawks team, yet by the same token, Rockets were missing Tari Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith. But Rockets used a second-half surge.
Close game throughout up until that mid-third quarter, and they just kind of pulled away from the Hawks and turned into a rout. Like I said, 104-86. Kevin Durant continues to feast as he's been essentially the MVP for this team.
Chapter 2: How did Kevin Durant perform in this game?
12 of 22 from the field, 31 points and got a lot of contributors in this game as well. I'm here with Ben Dubose. You can follow him on Twitter at Ben Dubose. Read his stuff on Rockets Wire on USA Today and on Clutch Fans as well. Ben, I'm curious your thoughts in this game.
Chapter 3: What challenges did the Rockets face with missing players?
Obviously, this wasn't the greatest test. This wasn't the San Antonio game, but it's a good win.
Yeah, absolutely. Night two of a road back-to-back, the way the Rockets started the season in these situations, you certainly shouldn't complain about it. I think at the end of the day, this is a game that one team had Kevin Durant, the other didn't, and ultimately that's what won the day.
I mean, Kevin, the shape he keeps his body in at 37 years old is phenomenal to be able to deliver like this on night two of back-to-backs. I can't help but think back to last month. It's a fascinating thought exercise. You know, one month ago, we were talking about the lack of consistency and the highs and the lows. The Rockets had all these big wins, but they had the awful losses.
It seems like the Kings, the Pelicans, the Trailblazers, and now it feels like They're taking care of business on these night two of back-to-backs. This is their third straight win.
The effort seems much more professional, yet the disconcerting thing, last night against the Spurs and obviously the Thunder game a couple of weeks ago, you've had two games recently against upper echelon competition in which the Rockets' offense just wasn't good enough. So the professionalism...
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Chapter 4: What improvements did Jabari Smith Jr. show in this game?
It's a lot better right now. But I guess the mid to late January Rockets, the concerns are back as far as is this offense without Fred and Fleet going to be good enough to contend for a championship? And so which version would you prefer? It's a fascinating thought exercise. But for me, I think I prefer this version, especially because, you know, you have had some big wins.
You did beat the Spurs last week. You beat the Pistons last week.
Chapter 5: How did Alperen Sengun's performance impact the game?
And if you're going to ultimately fix the problems with this team, you at least need to start with the right spirit. You need to start with the right competitive fire. And for this team to go out and take care of business against an undermanned Hawks team, I know the Rockets were a little bit undermanned themselves, but... they're playing with the right respect for the game.
And I think that's where you've got to start. Like, there's some problems, especially offensively, that in the aftermath of this first game, they've got to iron out. But at least in contrast to December, this current version of the Rockets seems to be taking the games much more seriously. And I think in the interim, that's something to celebrate, even if there are bigger challenges ahead.
Yeah, KD tonight, boy, just made some really, really big shots. As I mentioned, 12 of 22. And I think you summed it up nicely. The Rockets had KD. They did not. They're missing Jalen Johnson tonight. Obviously missing Porzingis, who's been out. Okongwu, who's been playing... really well. They came in, the Hawks did, with a four-game winning streak.
Chapter 6: What are the implications of Steven Adams' injury for the Rockets?
Okonwu was averaging 18 points in those four games. He had some sort of issue, got hit. I lost a tooth something with Jalen Brown last night in Boston. So he was out in this game. So it was basically CJ McCollum, Alexander Walker, those guys. So they were missing some firepower, definitely. But I still love the way the Rockets responded.
And again, KD deserves all the flowers because this guy is, you know, when we have a bunch of players on this team that struggle here and there, you know, obviously we saw Jabari. Reid has been struggling up until the second half tonight a little bit. Shangoon, last couple of games, really struggling. KD, for the most part, has been consistent.
He's had some bad games here and there shooting wise, but it's just so deadly with that jumper. It's such an asset. Um, and I don't want, we'll, we'll talk a little bit about the trade here at the trade stuff at the end today, but, uh, you know, it's such a tough balance with looking at what Katie can do for you right now versus you've lost Steven Adams. You'd lost Fred Van Vliet.
It's very hard to fill those things. What do you do at the deadline? We'll talk about that for sure. A few other players tonight. I want to talk about Jabari Smith Jr. going back to his hometown, Atlanta, tonight. Just 5 of 12 from the field, 2 of 6 from 3. Nothing that jumps off the page there, but did have a career-high 5 blocks tonight, 3 steals as well.
Was very active, 8 boards, and a plus 15 for the team. I thought it was a really good game for him. He missed a couple shots that I'm I shook my head going, no, Jabari, that's just frustrating, maybe an open three. But had the nice drive where he kind of went right and fed Capella for the alley-oop, something we don't see often from him.
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Chapter 7: What trade options are being considered for the Rockets?
Had a transition, put the ball on the floor and blow past his guy for a dunk that you don't see very often from him as well. I just thought he was active. Maybe it was part of going home and his family being there, but Jabari had a good game today.
Yeah, absolutely. Both Jabari and Reed had five made shots and multiple made three-pointers, and that just goes so far to relieving the pressure on Kevin Durant and Alperin Shingun. Shingun did not have an efficient shooting night, although I think you have to put an asterisk on this one. He was questionable going in today with the ankle sprain, which he seemed to re-aggravate.
against the Spurs. I think he was gutting it out because this Rockets team, especially the way last night ended, blowing a 16-point lead and losing by double digits, this would have been a bad one to lose. And I think Shingun just wanted to give it whatever he had to get them this win. And they're coming home for Dallas on Saturday night and they'll reevaluate in the next 24 hours, I'm sure.
Tonight, they got the win. That's what matters. And when you have this version of Jabari and Reed that is able to make some shots, including threes, it does so much to space the floor.
I mean, we talk about the way the Spurs, and I do think, you know, some of the issues in the second half against the Spurs, people ask the question, why doesn't every team defend the Rockets the way the Spurs did with the five just sort of sagging off a men and defending the rim? Well, every team doesn't have Victor Wimbanyama.
That strategy is a lot more effective when the guy that's sagging off and trying to hedge is 7'5", an athletic freak, maybe the biggest in the history of the NBA, and is able to recover in ways that most teams can't. I do think to the larger point, this team does need more spacing. And so when Jabari and Reed are able to make shots and space the floor, it does so much to let the big guns operate.
And even if Shingun couldn't tonight, KD could. And against an undermanned Hawks team, it was enough. I also think we should point out defensively, I believe 86 points was the lowest the Rockets have held an opponent to all year. So this is a culture wet. And that's what I keep going back to. And I think there's a lot of positives to take in that regard.
There are some offensive questions that this team needs to resolve, but to hold any opponent to 86 points, especially on the road, I don't care if it's night two of a back-to-back, you're playing hard. You're playing together. I thought Clint Capella looked really good in his minutes with rebounding and rim protection.
I just think overall, if you're going to fix the Rockets this year to where they have any chance at all to make some noise and contend for a championship, you've got to get back to the formula from a year ago defensively. That's what this team does at its best. That's what Ime Udoka has become known for over his time in the NBA.
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Chapter 8: What future challenges do the Rockets face as the season progresses?
And really from the outset, this is one of the better efforts in a while.
Yeah, I'm glad you brought up the Spurs game. I don't want to change subject. We'll come right back to the Hawks game. But I did watch the second half, or I should say the entire third and some of the fourth of the Spurs game before I went in there tonight. And the Rockets lost that lead with Luke Cornett on the floor. It was gone. It was they had 11 point lead in the third quarter.
It got wiped out with Cornette and Keldon Johnson, you know, who was guarding Shingun at that point in time. I think a man was even off on the floor for a stretch. Now, the fourth quarter was what we saw. So we can definitely talk about those points. But another thing to throw out there, Stephen Castle and Dylan Harper. both can't shoot either.
They're both really struggle to shoot from three point range. They're not as bad as a man Thompson, but they're both in the 20 percentile, 24 percent, 25 percent, really bad. So it's something that they're going to have to figure out. I mean, the issues with Shingun, a man on offense and the issues with Shingun read on defense for our topic for another day.
But that is a long term concern, no matter how you look at it. We'll talk about Shingun some more later. Read Shepard tonight. Couldn't make anything in the first half. And this is a story we've said many times, Ben. Like, Reed, first half, not good. Reed, second half, good. Tonight, I think he was 0 for 3 in the first half from three-point range. I think he was 1 for 8, maybe, from the field.
Ended up going 4 for 6 from the field. Hit three threes in the second half. I think he was 3 for 4. So... He had a much better second half read tonight and his connection with Capella seems to be legit. Like Reed and Capella have something going on. It's, it's really a nice fit because Capella is that brings that better rim protection.
He's a little bit older, but he is, you know, a known rim protector that helps read certainly on the back line of defensively. And then he's got a lob threat. We're going to use that term from the, from the Silas days, but he's got a lob threat in, in Clint as well. So, I'm liking what I'm seeing from Reed and Clint.
Yeah, let's talk about Clint because I don't think he played in the second half against the Spurs. Is that right? If he did, it was like token minute.
I believe he did not, but I can't say if he came in for a few minutes or not. I didn't see him play specifically, but I need to go back and read up on the show.
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