On a night when Kevin Durant couldn’t buy a basket, and Jabari Smith Jr. was in street clothes, the Houston Rockets proved something far more valuable than a single win – they proved their depth.
Durant was brought in to be the Rockets' leader and closer of the team. But a victory over the Mavericks on a night where he shot 6-for-18 from the floor, including 2-for-8 from distance, shows how balanced this roster has become. Late in the game, it was Alperen Sengun who delivered the clutch basket on the offensive end, and Amen Thompson who came up with the big stop on the defensive end. Thompson led Houston with a season-high 27 points.
It felt a bit like the moment when a parent starts to finally slow down and realizes their kids are mature and grown enough to take care of things themselves. On a night when Durant was far from his best, making the fewest shots of any game this season, Houston's young core was able to step up in his stead.
“Nobody wants to lose, and we are the leaders of this team now. So we just need to take over after some point,” Sengun said. “[Durant] was missing all those, but when the time came, he just showed up. We just want to win, and no matter what, I was just going to get that point.”
Rockets' depth shining early on
Nothing illustrates the Rockets' balance more than the fact that they don't have a top 25 scorer, but do have seven guys averaging double-figures — tied with the Phoenix Suns for the most in the Western Conference. That includes Josh Okogie, once viewed as nothing more than a throw-in during the offseason.
With Smith sidelined due to a sprained ankle, it was Tari Eason who stepped up, scoring 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting, while making his first start of the year. A career 35% three-point shooter, Eason has quietly hit 56% of his threes this season.
Reed Sheppard had a rough night on both ends, as he continues to navigate his growing pains. He was replaced by Aaron Holiday in the second half, who delivered a key and-one late in the third quarter to give the Rockets their largest lead of the night. The 10 minutes from Holiday, who has appeared in only half of the games, were a season-high, as he was able to provide some stability.
Steven Adams posted a plus-6 and Clint Capela a plus-5 in limited minutes off the bench. Right now, the Rockets are getting contributions from everywhere, making it hard to key in on just one player. It's the makeup of a championship team, where someone different can step up and beat you each night.
The Mavericks aren't the toughest competition, but this was still an impressive win given Durant's season-worst performance and Sengun shooting just 5-for-13 in the first half, despite Dallas missing two centers. Houston found a way to close it out anyway – a sign of how far this group has already come.
“We had two late-game situations the first two games of the year,” Durant said. “We didn't pass those tests, but we've seen some things that we can work on and get better at, and tonight, we made good plays down the stretch.”
This was the most impressive victory of the Rockets' four-game winning streak — a game they would have likely lost a year ago. That's why Durant was brought in to begin with, to help Houston win close games like the one Monday against the Mavericks. But just six games into the season, the Rockets have already found ways to win without him, too.
