Rockets Overcome Early Shooting Struggles, Defeat Thunder in Overtime

The Houston Rockets struggled offensively against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night, but came back to get the win in overtime 122-113.

Oct 9, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) shoots a three-point basket over Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets flew into Oklahoma City to face the Thunder on Wednesday night. Dillon Brooks returned to the starting lineup for the team's second preseason game, but starting guard Fred VanVleet sat out with Amen Thompson drawing another start.

It was an ugly start to the game for the Rockets. They struggled to generate any offense in the first quarter. On the other hand, superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got his first action of the preseason and picked up right where he left off from last season's MVP level performance.

He scored at ease and was picking apart Houston's defense, scoring 15 points in just one half of play.

The Rockets picked up their play in the second half, chipping away from the Thunder's double-digit lead with their second unit and eventually tying up the game late in the fourth. Down two with just 1.8 seconds left on the clock, Jermaine Samuels Jr. was at the line. He has to purposely miss his second free throw in order to give Houston a chance to send the game to overtime.

He shoots the free throw and clancks it off the front side of the rim. Jack McVeigh recovers the board and fades from about eight feet out and drains it as the buzzer sounds.

Overtime.

The Rockets then used that momentum heading into OT and never looked back as they built a quick lead and pulled away from the Thunder 122-113.

If there was one main takeaway from this game, it has to be how important VanVleet is to Houston's offense. The three-point shooting was dreadful without him in the lineup, and the team looked stagnant on the offensive side of the ball all night.

Brooks looked fine during the win on Wednesday night, but he wasn't very effective driving into the basket. He still drained three shots beyond the arc on a night where they were coming at a premium. He'll look to continue to ramp up as the Rockets prepare for the regular season.

We also got a look at forward Tari Eason who returned to game action after missing time with a left leg injury last season. He seemed to be getting into the swing of things as the game went on, and provided great rebounding and efficiency in the painted area.

Houston's rookie guard Reed Sheppard showed some improvement in the win. He was much more efficient against the Thunder than he was against the Utah Jazz on Monday night. He shot 5-of-7 from the field, and continued to get to his spots on offense.

The Rockets have not the start they were hoping for in the preseason, but they have shown many flashes of what they can do when everything is clicking for them. They will look to build on this win next Tuesday against the New Orleans Pelicans at home.

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