The Houston Rockets walked on the floor tonight winners of their last six games, preparing to take on a team missing 11 players. If the 76ers starting five walked into your house, you wouldn’t know who they were. Yet, the jumped out early on the Rockets forcing Ime Udoka to call a timeout after a 14-9 run to start the game. Tari Eason scored the first 11 points for the Rockets and by the 5:34 minute mark in the quarter the 76ers had doubled up the Rockets 23-11. Udoka went to the bench quickly bringing in Jock Landale in place of Alperen Sengun, as the 76ers were getting anything they wanted on the offensive end.
The Rockets trailed by 16 (44-28) after one quarter as the 76ers could not miss from three-point range. The scored 44 points in the quarter on 16-of-24 shooting, including 9-of-14 from the three-point arc. Quentin Grimes, a Houston native, must have eaten his momma’s cookin’ before the game as we went 5-of-7 form the floor and scored 12 points. Tari Eason led the way for the Rockets with 11 points in the quarter.
Th 76ers did not cool off on thew second quarter, and the Rockets didn’t heat up. The deficit grew as high as 21 points with the Sixers shooting nearly 60 percent from three. Alperen Sengun had a goose egg on one miss in eight minutes by the time the midway point of the second quarter arrived. Anyone not named Tari Eason or Jock Landale was basically a no show offensively early on, and whatever defense was there was too late as the Sixers had caught fire.
The Rockets walked into the locker room down by 21 points (78-57) as they allowed a season high 78 points in the half. The Rockets were out-shot, out-rebounded, and just flat pout put played in the first half. Sixers had four players on double figures at the half, shooting 61.7 percent from the floor and 57.7 percent from three.
Sixers came out of the half on a 10-6 run to boost the lead to 25. Immediately triggering a timeout form Ime Udoka. A 12-2 run by the Rockets would finally bring them some hope, cutting the deficit to 93-79 with 6:27 left in the third quarter. The Rockets cut the lead to nine when Grimes knocked down a three to put them back up double digits. But the Rockets went back on a run fueled by Jabari Smith Jr. and Dillon Brooks. The Rockets ultimately hit nine threes in the third quarter, shot 73.9 percent from the floor and dropped 45 points and walked off the floor headed into the final quarter with the game tied 102-102.
The 76ers opened the fourth quarter with 10-0 run. Quentin Grimes eclipsed 30 points and began demanding a double team, opening things up for his teammates. The Rockets offense went cold in the fourth quarter. With three minutes and change to go, Tari Eason fouled out of the game and picked up a tech, getting tossed from the game. The subsequent free throws put the Sixers up by 10. A three-pointer by Jabari Smith Jr. cut the deficit to seven with three minutes remaining. The Rockets execution down the stretch was not good at all. If they got stops, they turned the ball over on offense.
Quentin Grimes missed two crucial free throws late, hustled to his own rebound to take more time off the clock. After a defensive stop Dillon Brooks hit a three to cut the lead to four. Fred VanVleet drew a foul that was not called on a three-pointer, that lead to him making a hard foul on the other end that was inexplicably called a flagrant foul, and even more inexplicably was upgraded to a flagrant 2 and ejection after being reviewed.
The Rockets cut the lead to three with 27 seconds left in the game. Two free throws by Jared Butler put the Rockets down by 5. Jalen Green raced down the court and made a layup that cut it back to a three-point lead, then stole the ball at half court which prompted an Ime Udoka timeout. The Sixers decided to foul the Rockets to avoid a game tying three out of the timeout. Jabari Smith Jr. made the first free-throw when Ime Udoka decided to put Alperen Sengun in the game who had only played 15 minutes to that point. Smith missed his second free throw on purpose and Sengun got the offensive rebound and tipped it back in with 3.9 seconds on the clock to tie the game. Jalen Hood-Schifino missed a 15ft would-be game winner.
Between Quentin Grimes going nuclear, Alperen Sengun suddenly being the go-to guy again after sitting most of the game, a third Rockets player fouling put in Dillon brooks, and finding out Craig Ackerman lost a contact midway through the fourth quarter, overtime was insane. Alperen Sengun’s bucket to start the overtime gave the Rockets the first lead of the game and would not relinquish it. Jabari Smith Jr. and Jalen Green each hit a clutch three in the overtime, Sengun had five points in the quarter, and the Rockets overcame a career-high 46 points from Quentin Grimes to win the game 144-137.
The Rockets match their all-time record for biggest comeback, 25 down. It was surely a nominee for craziest game of the season, but the Rockets sweep the six-game home-stand and hang on to second place in the West for at least one more day. Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. led the way offensively with 30 points each. Jalen set a career high with 13 assists. Brooks and Eason each scored 20+, and Jae’Sean Tate (plus-minus of +30) and Aaron Holiday both had key moments in the victory.
No one will pretend that the Rockets had any business being down 25 points to the 76ers G-League team, but the fact that there was no quit and they didn’t roll over is a credit to Ime Udoka and his staff and to every player who hit the floor tonight. Credit to the 76ers for a valiant effort, but… scoreboard. The Rockets hit the road for a Florida road trip playing the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, and the Miami Heat on Friday. The Rockets hope to get Amen Thompson back before coming home to play the Denver Nuggets on March 23rd. Catch all the games on Space City Network, or listen on Sports Talk 790 AM.
