HOUSTON – The Houston Rockets really had a chance to spoil this historic night. During the game, Giannis Antetokounmpo passed NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most rebounds in Milwaukee Bucks history. On top of that, the newly acquired Damian Lillard scored 39, and both Rockets forward Dillon Brooks and coach Ime Udoka were ejected after arguing a no call on Brooks, who got pushed by Khris Middleton out of bounds on a loose ball.
This loss, topped with several questionable calls and no calls that all suspiciously went the Bucks way illustrated a myriad of struggles Udoka's squad went through on Sunday night.
So Fred VanVleet gets CLOCKED by Brook Lopez earlier on an inadvertent elbow.
No review.
Dillon Brooks clocks Pat Connaughton with an inadvertent elbow on a drive.
Officials gather to review the play.
Make it make sense.
— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) December 18, 2023
These officiating calls were just a microcosm of why the Rockets snapped their five-game winning streak. Truth be told, it was the rebounding. The Bucks, who are 26th in offensive rebounding and 15th in second chance points, ironically outrebounded Houston's number seven in rebounding 46-31.
Additionally, Milwaukee secured 16 rebounds on the Rockets side, which translated into a whopping 22 second chance points. This hurt the Rockets in securing timely stops, especially in the second and fourth quarter.
Looking at the box score, Houston's offense wasn't an issue. They shot the ball more effectively than Milwaukee in field goal percentage, free throws, and three pointers. The Rockets did a substantial job of preventing Milwaukee from scoring during the first possessions, they just couldn't secure the rebounds. This allowed the Bucks to get more chances of scoring, aggressively going after them, drawing more foul calls and getting extra possessions.
Biggest Rockets questions
Looking more in-depth, Udoka's recent rotations raised several eyebrows. Specifically, the usage of Jalen Green. The former second overall pick has yet to breakout consistently in his third NBA season. Green's been benched down the stretch various times in 23 games, mainly due to his lack of efficiency and impact on both ends of the floor.
The last four games have seen Green playing less than 30 minutes. In this matchup, Green played extremely effective in the first half, scoring eleven points of 4-of-5 shooting while dishing five assists in 16 minutes played. While he slowed down a bit in the third quarter, it wasn't as bad as his previous games. Green was still producing effective numbers, scoring 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, adding two more assists with zero turnovers.
Nevertheless, Udoka benched Green for most of the 4th quarter. At four minutes left in the game, Green was brought back on the court. It didn't amount to much, though, as Green was hardly involved in offensive possessions, with Fred VanVleet facilitating most of them with Alperen Sengun, and Jabari Smith Jr., and Dillon Brooks.
While it's reasonable to bench a struggling player, sidelining them when they are performing well raises questions. If Green plays just as efficient against the Cleveland Cavaliers Monday night, it'll benefit Houston should he stay on the court.
Give Jabari the ball more
Rockets 2022 2nd overall pick is improving his game, especially on offense. Given his overall stats of 12.7 points on 48.1% shooting and 36% percent from deep, Jabari's mid-range game has much improved. Between 15-19 feet, Jabari is shooting 50%, and 53.8% on shots within 10-14 feet.
His mid-range game has similar comparisons of Kevin Durant, especially when he performs turnaround jumpers when given the ball in the low post. These shots were on display Sunday night, as he went 7-of-9 inside the arc. Jabari's mid-range have been growing into a staple of his game throughout this season. Udoka should look to write plays for Jabari more during one on one possessions.
However, his defense remains an area for growth. Although adept at guarding smaller players, his 6'10” stature is somewhat undersized due to his weight against larger opponents. Giannis, for example, found it easier to score against Jabari than against Dillon Brooks or Sengun.
The defense against Cleveland should be a welcome affair, given the Jabari's focus for this season and the upcoming offseason should be to strengthen his physique to become a more effective two-way player.
Addressing the issues for the Cavs Game
Along with this tough start of an eight game stretch of opponents with stars, the Rockets face their expected easiest opponent in the Cleveland Cavaliers in Ohio Monday night on a back to back. standing at 14-12 with the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. Usually dangerous, the Cavs have been through the injury trenches, hovering over .500 throughout this season. They've lost key pieces in Darius Garland and Evan Mobley for multiple weeks due to injury.
These losses provide a huge break for the Rockets, as they likely have to worry about only Donovan Mitchell having a monster game. Don't jump to conclusions, however, forward Caris LeVert can also score the basketball and Jarrett Allen is a fierce rim protector. Cleveland's scoring success comes from mostly inside the three-point line, as they are 23rd in three point percentage in the NBA. The Cavs sit at 20th in committed turnovers per game, which should work in Houston's favor.
Addressing the lack of rebounding against Milwaukee is crucial for Houston in their next matchup. With Mobley out, the task of establishing the paint and directly defending Jarrett Allen should be easier to grab rebounds for Jabari and Sengun. This, in addition to the Rockets bench, should be capable access for Tari Eason.
Cleveland's other forwards, Dean Wade and Isaak Okoro, primarily shoot three-pointers from set positions. The Cavs will likely focus on creating more space on the perimeter, an area the Rockets have shown capability in defending. The only glaring issue is Mitchell pick and roll with Jarrett Allen and Tristan Thompson.
If Mitchell can't score, he cannot involve his teammates either. The Rockets need to win this game, because the competition gets tougher toward the final days of 2023.
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