Hornets vs. Rockets Takeaways: Another Second Half Collapse, Charlotte Dominates From Inside

Jalen Green's 41-point performance wasn't enough to prevent the Houston Rockets from dropping their 12th consecutive game in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets (10-34) returned to the Toyota Center Wednesday night following a four-game California road trip. The results led to the Rockets dropping their 12th consecutive game in a 122-117 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. 

Here are three takeaways from their latest defeat.

Another third quarter collapse:

In five of their last six games, the Rockets have given up leads in the second half due to their inability to maintain their play. And against the Hornets, the Rockets duplicated their struggles.

"The way we started the third quarter, right after halftime, I was disappointed by that," coach Stephen Silas said. "The ball started to stick a little bit, and we missed a few shots. The third quarter was more of an issue to me than the fourth."

The Rockets came out of halftime holding a 60-53 lead. But at the start of the third period, Houston began to lose its momentum. 

They turned the ball over in three of their first four possessions. And two minutes into the second half, the Hornets had tied the game by capitalizing on the Rockets' mistakes.  

The Rockets surprisingly held a one-point lead entering the fourth quarter. But the decline of play Houston experienced during the third set the tone for another second-half collapse.

Houston committed 11 turnovers during the final 24 minutes — seven came during the third quarter.

"It wasn't necessarily what they were doing," Silas said. "They were blitzing Jalen [Green] to try and get the ball out of his hands. There was just a lot of unforced, just throw it to the other team type of turnovers that hurt us."

Rockets are missing Kevin Porter Jr:

Kevin Porter Jr. missed his fourth consecutive game due to an ongoing left foot contusion. Silas said Porter went through a pre-game workout but continued to feel pain in his foot. 

Houston has made adjustments in the absence of its starting point guard. But in three of the previous four games, there are moments where the Rockets need Porter's on-court production.

"It hurts," Jalen Green said. "He is a great scorer for our team. He slowed the game down for us. Hopefully, he'll be back soon."

Without Porter, there were several moments the Rockets' offense appeared discombobulated when trying to run their offensive sets. The confusion, mainly during the third quarter, led to several careless turnovers.

Silas said there is no timetable for Porter's return.

"We are playing different right now — he's our point guard," Alperen Sengun said. "I'm handling the ball more when he is not playing."

Hornets dominated the Rockets from the inside:

One of the few silver linings for Silas has been the improvements Houston has made with their rim protection. 

The Rockets have held their opponents to an average of 48.4 points in the paint. But against the Hornets, Houston had a rough time trying to keep the Hornets from scoring around the basket.

The Hornets finished the night with 78 points in the paint — 44 came during the second half. And the Hornets did not limit their paint dominance to the offensive end. 

Charlotte recorded 10 blocks on the defensive end, with center Mark Williams coming off the bench and accounting for five. He also tied a career-high in points (17) while registering six rebounds.

Best performance:

Jalen Green tied his career-high with 41 points. In addition to his scoring, Green played an all-around game by adding seven assists and five rebounds. The only negative about his performance was the four turnovers he committed.

Worst performance:

Garrison Mathews played 13 minutes. Outside of nailing one 3-pointer, he did not provide the Rockets much all game.

Final Words:

"We don't like being on a losing streak, especially with this being our 12th game. We are way better than that. We gotta have short-term memory and go out there and battle these next two games." — Jalen Green

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You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24

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