The Rockets don't score 22 points! Green is out again and Whitmore is out injured
On the first day of the new year on February 10, Beijing time, the first one wishes you a happy Spring Festival and good health! Normal NBA games are still going on, with Houston taking on the Raptors. Both clubs have been polar in recent transfers. Now, the Rockets are 23-27 and 12th in the Western Conference, and Ucevic is hoping to compensate for their losses through a swap. However, the Rockets' hierarchy has been more patient, believing that Udoka's leadership is up to the task, but they also want to give more opportunities for young players to play. According to Ike, the Rockets will have a big change this summer, and Jalen Green will also start his career this summer. And Shen Jing, Xiao Jia, Ethan, Whitmore, they will never let go. Ethan missed 20 league games due to his leg injury.
This has also been a big factor in the Rockets' 24-year streak of poor performance, and Ethan's absence has also caused a noticeable decline in the team's defense. At the previous 18-33, at the 12th position in the Eastern Conference, the Raptors traded 24-year-old No. 1 plus Lewis and Otto Porter for Olynyk and Abalaki in Utah before the deadline; In addition to being reluctant to trade Bruce Brown, he also gave up trading Schroder and Cedis Young for Dinwiddie. It's really puzzling for the Raptors to do this, and if they really want to win, they won't trade a first-round pick for someone who can do it, but why would they give Dinwiddie away? Currently, the Rockets' starting lineup is: Amen Thompson, Jalen Green, Delon, Jabari Smith, Shen Jing.
The Raptors' starting lineup is Trent, Bamot, Barnes and Bolts, and this is their first lineup. At the beginning of the game, Bolts put Shen Jing down alone, Bamot's layup also scored, Delon and Amon scored 4 points in a row, Bolts was still trying to attack, but in such a restricted area, Shen Jing seemed to be very difficult. Bamot and Quigley drove the Rockets back inside and out. Quigley continued to wreak havoc in the middle, Shin Kyung eventually grabbed the rebound, Jabari Smith was pressed and colored, but the Rockets couldn't stop Bolts. Brooks committed three fouls in the game, while Quigley extended the score to 13 points. In the second half, due to Shen Jingzao's foul, Aaron Holiday and Whitmore became the team's main players, and for the Raptors, Bruce Brown and Dick were also on fire.
At the end of the first quarter, the Rockets ended 20-34, while the Rockets made seven mistakes in one game, and Jalen Green made too many mistakes to make Shen's performance even worse. The game entered the second quarter, Whitmore hit three 3-pointers in a row, Jeff Green hit a 3-pointer, Tate threatened Bruce Brown, Whitmore and Jabari Smith each hit 3-pointers, and three minutes later, the Rockets tied the game 16-2! Then Holiday hit a mid-range shot, and in the final minute, the Clippers and Bruce Brown scored back-to-back points, Bamot returned the color, Holiday fought back effortlessly, and Jalen Green also scored a three-pointer. With Trent and Bamot continuing to score three-pointers, the Raptors extended the score again, with Whitmore scoring a three-pointer and Quigley and Trent scoring back-to-back three-pointers.
The Rockets' offense relied heavily on Whitmore, who led 49-61 at halftime, with Whitmore scoring 17 points, Shen Jing four five rebounds, five Jalen Green, and two two non-playing players. In the second half, Usain Bolts and Frogley scored 22 goals on the pitch and scored 22 goals! In the initial game, the Rockets failed to score, Amen and Jalen Green scored six points in a row, and Holiday and Dick scored three points, and the two teams played a difficult game and continued the game with a 20-point advantage. After the game, Brooks and Holiday hit three-pointers in quick succession, and Bolts narrowed the gap to 14 points at one point, but Brooks remained efficient. Porter was another dunk, then another 3-pointer from the bottom corner. After three quarters, the Raptors lost the game 71-88.
In the fourth quarter, Barnes led the team to a 19-point advantage, but Jeff Green and Bullock returned the favor with three points. Then, Jabari Smith hit another three-pointer to put the Raptors in a bind. Quigley sealed the game with a solo hit, and Jeff Green and Bullock's three-pointers continued to push the score to single digits. Brooks hit two 3-pointers in quick succession within five minutes of the game, followed by a layup by Barnes and a dunk by Bamott. With 2 minutes to go, the Rockets tied the score again, but Jeff Green's 3-pointer, Brooks' 3-pointer pushed the score to 1 point, Bamot's 2 free throws and Jeff Green's 3-pointer gave the Rockets a 104-107 win over the Raptors instead of a 22-point lead.
According to the Rockets, Whitmore played 18 minutes before he went off the court due to injury, scoring just 17 points and three rebounds. Brooks had 20 points, two rebounds and three assists, Jabari Smith had twelve 11 rebounds, Holiday had twelve three boards and five assists, Shen Jing had seven and seven, and Jalen Green had eleven three and four turnovers. Jeff Green eleven one, six boards, four assists. For the Raptors, Barnes had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists, the Clippers had 25 points, Bruce Brown had 11 3 rebounds, and Bolts had 16 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 blocks and 6 turnovers. Jalen Green was eliminated again in the fourth quarter, and based on his current performance, there's a good chance he'll not be traded for a first-round pick until this summer, let alone become a major contender for star players.