The Rockets have won six-straight games
Just a couple of weeks ago, the Rockets’ tankathon looked to be on course, as they started the season with a dismal 1-16 record and were the worst team in the NBA. Funny things happen sometimes though, especially with young teams, and they’ve now gone on a six-game streak which is the longest active winning streak in the NBA after Phoenix ended threes at 18 over the weekend.
Yes, most of their opponents were against fellow bottom-feeders in the Pelicans, Magic and Thunder (twice), but they also started the run with wins against solid teams in the Hornets and Bulls.
Christian Wood finished with 23 points and 8 rebounds, while Eric Gordon had 23 points and 5 assists. Six Rockets scored in double figures in the 118-108 victory.
Oh, and Christian Wood made 5 of 6 threes.
They needed that solid team effort, too, as Brandon Ingram went off on them and had 40 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists while shooting 15 of 28 from the field. Jonas Valanciunas had a solid game, too, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Rumors are that Ingram wants out of New Orleans, and he certainly upped his trade value today.
The Jazz barely scrape by the Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a fun young team. They’re stocked with good talent and have the potential to be a solid playoff team if their post-LeBron era players develop properly.
They showed flashes of that potential again today against a solid Utah Jazz team. After falling behind 97-82 with 11:05 left in the game, the Cavaliers went on a 24-7 run to take a 106-104 lead with 3:10 remaining on the clock. While they weren’t able to close things out, and eventually fell 109-108 to Utah, you’ve got to respect that they didn’t give up.
Donovan Mitchell was the game’s leading scorer with 35 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal.
Rudy Gobert didn’t make many shots, finishing with 6 points, but had a monstrous night in the paint. He added 20 rebounds and 5 blocks to his tally for the day, and his dunk at the end of the game helped seal the victory for the Jazz.
Darius Garland had a good duel against Mitchell, leading the Cavs with 31 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. Evan Mobley had another double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Jarrett Allen contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds.
The Hornets defeat the Hawks in a barnburner
The Charlotte Hornets had a 130-127 victory against the Atlanta Hawks today, and it was one of those battles where offense was the name of the game.
Miles Bridges and Kelly Oubre Jr. combined for 60 points for the Hornets.
John Collins, Trae Young and Kevin Huerter had 85 for the Hawks. They had a good connection, emphasised by this poster dunk:
Bench scoring made the big difference, as the Hawks’ bench were outscored 32-23 by the Hornets.
Pascal Siakam finally gets a little Spicy as Raptors take down the Wizards
Pascal Siakam hasn’t had the easiest start since he’s come back this season, especially as he’s now in the second year of his max extension. He had a solid game for the Raptors against the Wizards though, finishing with 31 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists on 10 of 21 shooting. That helped lead Toronto to the 102-90 win against Washington.
Precious Achiuwa finished with a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds for the Raptors.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was the only Wizard to break the 20-point mark and finished with 26. Bradley Beal was the only other one to score in double figures and finished with 14 points and 7 assists on 4 of 12 shooting.
