Inside The Rockets

Rockets Lose to Jazz as Buzzer-Beater Spoils Russell Westbrook Performance

Russell Westbrook scored 39 points, but Bojan Bogdanovic gave Utah the victory on a buzzer-beater three.

Michael Shapiro

The Rockets played some of their best basketball of the season for 47 minutes and 58 seconds on Sunday. Russell Westbrook scored 39 points, James Harden finished with a triple-double, and P.J. Tucker and Robert Covington each hit clutch threes in the final minute. But the strong offensive effort wasn’t enough to overcome the Jazz in 114-113 Utah victory.

Tucker’s three with 1.6 seconds left appeared to give the Rockets their second straight win over a Finals contender, building upon Houston’s victory in Los Angeles on Thursday. Bojan Bogdanovic had other ideas. 

The Jazz forward banged home a 28-foot three as the buzzer sounded, marking Houston’s second buzzer-beater loss of the season. The Rockets fell to 33–20 with the defeat, spoiling what was a thrilling effort at the Toyota Center. Houston has one more game until the All-Star break, but Sunday marked a miss opportunity.

Here are three takeaways from the Rockets’ loss:

Westbrook Bullies Gobert, Jazz

The Rockets fell one point short of defeating Utah on Sunday, but Russell Westbrook certainly did his part. The nine-time All-Star led all scorers with 39 points on 18-33 shooting, converting 14 shots inside the restricted area. Westbrook's opponent made Sunday's performance all the more impressive. 

Utah took the floor on Sunday led by Rudy Gobert, a 7'1" behemoth and two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Westbrook appeared unconcerned by Gobert's presence. He buried his head into Gobert's chest for baskets on numerous drives at the tin, neutralizing The Stifle Tower's immense length. Westbrook drove at Gobert on Houston's final possession of the game as well, worming his way into the lane before whipping a pass to Tucker for the go-ahead three. Westbrook is fearless going to the rim. It doesn't matter which 7-footer is guarding the tin. 

"I went right through [Gobert's] chest, put that shit in the basket," Westbrook said postgame. "Same as everybody else. He ain't no different, just happened to be a little taller."

Covington’s Impact Continues

It didn’t take long for Robert Covington to help the Rockets after being traded from Minnesota on Feb. 4. The 29-year-old made four threes against the Lakers in his Houston debut, and he made a consistent defensive impact with the small-ball Rockets. Sunday continued Covington’s strong start.

Covington finished Sunday night with 14 points and four threes, including a go-ahead triple with 28 seconds remaining. But Covington’s defensive effort overshadowed his solid offensive output. The Rockets are currently deploying Covington as a bit of a free-safety, allowing his 7'2" wingspan to muddle passing lanes and rack-up deflections. Covington is long and stout. He can guard all five positions, similar to Trevor Ariza in prior seasons. Daryl Morey’s deadline deal was certainly unconventional, but it's paid dividends through three games.

Rockets and Jazz Swap Roles

The Rockets and Jazz entered Sunday's matchup on two ends of the NBA stylistic spectrum. Houston is the most prolific three-point shooting team of all-time, while the Jazz prefer to pound the ball inside and crash the glass. With the Rockets starting 6'5" forward P.J. Tucker at center, the divide was expected to become even starker on Sunday. But expectations didn't match reality. 

Westbrook and the Rockets bruised their way to 54 paint points on Sunday, holding a six-point edge in the lane. Utah won the offensive rebounding battle by just two, and Gobert ended the night with only one block. The strange metrics continued from beyond the arc. Utah matched Houston with 15 threes, and it shot a better percentage from the perimeter. Donovan Mitchell hit four threes. Jordan Clarkson added three, and Bojan Bogdanovic's second triple of the evening sent the Rockets to the locker room with a loss. Houston continues to be unpredictable with its current rotation, and Sunday was another puzzling matchup in the Rockets' small-ball experiment.  

Up Next: vs. Boston on Tuesday

The Rockets will look to avoid a two-game losing streak before the All-Star break as they host the Celtics on Tuesday. Boston rolls into Houston in the midst of an impressive stretch, winning seven straight and nine of its last ten. Tuesday marks the two teams' first matchup in 2019-20. 

Tip-off from the Toyota Center is slated for 8:30 p.m. CT. 

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Michael Shapiro
MICHAEL SHAPIRO

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