Rebuilding the Dream: The Next Era of Houston Rockets Basketball – Episode 13

Rebuilding the Dream: The Next Era of Houston Rockets Basketball – Episode 13

After their most impressive victory of the season over the Minnesota Timberwolves there was no opportunity for the Houston Rockets to rest. The team left Target Center and immediately boarded a flight for the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia. Their game against the 76ers on the second night of a back to back had all the hallmarks of a schedule loss, however, Philadelphia had struggled early on in the season as injuries side-lined star player Joel Embiid and the newly acquired Paul George. Former Rockets players, Eric Gordon and KJ Martin were coming off the bench for the 76ers and former General Manager, Daryl Morey, was still in Philadelphia’s front office, despite a tumultuous start to his career with the franchise that saw him burn bridges with his long time muse, James Harden. After they gained an early advantage, the Rockets weren’t able to pull away and create distance between themselves and Philadelphia on the scoreboard. With just under two minutes left in the game, Amen Thompson put Houston up by 8 and it seemed as if they would emerge victorious with careful play down the stretch of the game. Alperen Sengun had already dominated his matchups against the league’s other French centers and this game saw Guerschon Yabusele get the start in place of the absent Embiid. The matchup had been a difficult one for Sengun as Yabusele’s size and strength caused him considerable problems throughout the game. In overtime, however, Sengun took control. His finesse and skill were on full display as he powered the Rockets to their second overtime victory in as many days.

They flew back to Houston where a matchup against the number 1 seeded team in the Western Conference awaited them. Oklahoma City had already blown out the Rockets early on in November but the growth Houston had shown early on this season was considerable and they now held the second best record in the conference. They sat just one spot behind the Thunder. The two franchises were both on the upsurge at the same time as they had both recently added multiple talented young players in recent drafts and looked positioned to surpass the current crop of dominant teams in the league that were made up of more established, veteran players. The front offices have historically enjoyed a friendly relationship as they have been regular trade partners in moves for superstar talent as well as smaller, under the radar transactions that have been mutually beneficial. The contest between the two teams was closely contested throughout. Inconsistent shooting from most of the roster led to Fred VanVleet taking matters into his own hands down the stretch. Oklahoma City didn’t relent and kept pushing to regain control of the game, but VanVleet took care of business at the line and Houston defeated the top team in the Western Conference.