Rockets Sink 20 3s, Rout Warriors to Advance to Summer League Semi-Final
LAS VEGAS — It was a behind-the-arc night for the Houston Rockets on Thursday, who faced off against the Golden State Warriors inside the Thomas & Mack Center to close out their 2023 NBA Summer League slate.
Prior to the matchup, the Rockets were 3-0 in all games played in Vegas — being one of just a handful of teams to maintain a perfect record heading into its final game — and made sure they stayed that way, improving to 4-0 by cruising past the Warriors 118-101 behind 20 total 3-pointers.
Through two quarters of play, Houston had already scored 13 3s, shooting 52 percent in the process. Leading the offensive charge was second-year point guard Trevor Hudgins, who finished the night with a double-double. He tallied 23 points, six 3s and 11 assists to continue his Summer League dominance, while rookie Cam Whitmore once again showed out, grabbing eight steals to add to his 26 points to further solidify his own draft "steal" status.
Hudgins got things started almost immediately, hitting a 3-pointer to give Houston an early lead. From there, both teams went back and forth with Golden State's Gui Santos knocking down a bucket and two free throws to keep his team within striking distance early in the first.
Once it was 12-11, however, Houston put its foot on the gas and never looked back.
Two more 3-pointers — one each from Whitmore and second-year power forward Jermaine Samuels Jr. — gave the Rockets a nine-point lead, which only grew as the half began to wind down.
The Rockets were a rim-out away from taking a 21-point lead to the locker room at halftime. But unlike their other shots from behind the arc, they couldn't get a wing 3 from Hudgins to fall, settling instead for an 18-point advantage.
Not much changed in the second half, as Hudgins once again opened the scoring for the Rockets, hitting a 3 and a blow-by layup in back-to-back possessions to keep his team comfortably in front.
Unfortunately, that comfortable lead turned into sloppy play, and a string of missed shots led to Warriors buckets. Santos continued to make life difficult for Houston, adding four more points to his total amidst the turnovers and misses to help bring the lead to within eight points.
Golden State's attempt at a comeback was short-lived. However, by the time the fourth quarter went underway, it had exhausted all possible options. To add fuel to the fire, Hudgins knocked down a running 3-pointer near half-court at the buzzer, all but ending the game ahead of its final 10 minutes.
When the final buzzer sounded, nobody was surprised at the outcome, as Houston kept the Warriors at bay while scoring 118 total points to complete the 17-point blowout.
Every Rockets player that saw game action also found the bottom of the bucket ... quite often in fact. Houston played a total of seven players, and all seven scored eight points or more, grabbed multiple rebounds and six of them notched an assist — proving why its Vegas roster is arguably the most well-rounded of any.
With the win, the Rockets will now advance to the Summer League Semifinal, where they will face off against one of the other three top teams on Sunday, with a chance to advance to the tournament final on Monday.
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