the rockets defeated the raptors with a score of 135-106 in a surprising victory. the raptors had recently undergone a complete rebuild, with barnes as their core and strengthening their lineup around him. despite their recent success, the rockets' talent overwhelmed them.the rockets started the game strong, with sengin and jaylen green leading the charge.
smith made key shots, and whitmore and amin provided strong attacks off the bench. they finished the first quarter with a 14-point lead.the rockets continued to dominate in the second quarter, extending their lead to 19 points. the raptors were unable to mount a comeback in the second half, and the rockets continued to increase their lead, eventually reac
hing 30 points. the rockets' starters were able to rest early, and the bench players continued to attack. the raptors even forced the rockets to bring out their mascot, boban.barnes scored 28 points for the raptors, while quijley had 25 points and trent jr. had 12 points. sengin led the rockets with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists, while green had 14
points. amin had 19 points and whitmore had 25 points off the bench.the rockets showcased the power of their young players, with sengin, green, and smith performing well. amin and whitmore also proved their talent and potential. the rockets made a great draft selection with whitmore, who was predicted to be a top five talent. despite concerns about his kn
ee, he has been healthy this season and has shown his strong abilities on the court.overall, the rockets' victory was a testament to their talented young players and their ability to come together as a team.Whitmore was considered the strongest 3-and-D forward in the '23 draft, and scouts were very bullish on him. However, no one could have predicted that he would be so good, he was first sent by the Rockets to play in the Development League, and then returned to establish himself step by step with his excellent scoring ability, even squeezing out Holiday playing time.
Whitmore has scored more than 20 points in four of his last 10 games, but he has played less than 30 minutes. Today, Whitmore scored 25 points in just 21 minutes, setting the record for the fewest 25+ minutes in NBA history for an age between 13 and 19. It's no wonder Lakers fans are angry with management, as Whitmore was drafted at No. 20 and Schifino at No. 17. The Lakers were originally interested in Whitmore, but ultimately chose Schifino because they thought Schifino was more capable of shooting. However, for now, it seems that Schifino may be out of action after playing his rookie contract. In comparison, Whitmore averaged just 16 games per gameYou can get 11 in 7 minutes8 points and 38 rebounds on 49% shooting from the field and 40% from three-point range. And in the last 5 games, Whitmore has averaged 216 minutes to score 21 points and 64 rebounds and shooting 507% and 41 percent from three-point range7% and 82 percent of his free throw percentage4%。
It can be said that if the 19-year-old Whitmore did not participate in the draft last year and waited until '24 to participate, he would definitely be the top pick this year, at least the top three.