Infamous Shipwreck of the Rockets

Two rebuilds at very different times collided in OKC, where the Thunder shook off four straight losses to the Rockets, two this season and the last on Wednesday. and they did as God commands: 153-121, a scandalous beating that marks the highest score for Mark Daigneault’s men this season and the worst defeat for some Rockets who certainly have a choice in a terrible course that they only think about now, and let’s see what happensin Victor Wembanyama.

In 2019, the Thunder traded Russell Westbrook to the Rockets. In theory, they went into reconstruction (Paul George left in parallel to LA) and the Texans opened a new path with the James Harden-Westbrook couple. But the following season (that of Chris Paul as general captain) was brilliant for the Thunder and discreet for the Rockets. In fact, the latter narrowly avoided derision (4-3) in the first round of the bubble against those Thunder that nobody counted on there. Later, they lost to the Lakers and the decomposition began: first, Westbrook to Washington; Then Harden to Brooklyn. With Chris Paul in Phoenix, Thunder and Rockets met in the sewers. The first, 22 and 24 wins the last two seasons. The seconds, 17 and 20. The big difference is this course, the current one. 25-27 for some Thunder who fight for it play-in, 13-40 for some Rockets that are the worst team in the League. For results and, even more, for disastrous sensations.

The Thunder needed to win a direct duel… and they went for it from the beginning. The beating was terrible: 38-19 in the first quarter, 123-81 at the end of the third and leads of up to 45 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 28 points in the first half and finished, without playing in the fourth quarter, with 42 without breaking a sweat. Josh Giddey had 17 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists in 27 minutes and the Thunder shook an opponent, yes and to say the least, more tired and on the second night in back-to-back. Jalen Green, who by himself is not efficiency personified, seemed rusty after his absence (12 points, 15 shots) and Jabari Smith Jr continues to spend much more on tiptoe than expected for the season: 11 points, 3 rebounds for number 3 in the draftchosen by the Rockets after the Thunder got Chet Holmgren, who has not played all season due to a foot injury.

The Rockets, languid, saw at least how they produced youngsters like Joel Christopher and Tyty Washington (20 points each). Usman Garuba returned to the rotation and, in the midst of the shipwreck of his team, played more than 15 minutes and finished with 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2/4 in triples, a resource that would undoubtedly open the door for him to have more presence on the track. It is his first game with at least ten points since mid-November, we’ll see if a blow of spirit now that he has lost weight in the interior rotation of some Rockets where Bruno Fernando returns to play more than him.