Rockets Fall Short of Miraculous Comeback in Loss to Nets

The Houston Rockets battled back from a 28-point deficit but fell short of an improbable comeback Saturday night against the Nets.

Twenty-four hours after their best performance of the season in Charlotte, the Houston Rockets sustained a 106-104 loss to the Brooklyn Nets Saturday night inside the Barclays Center.

With the loss, the Rockets split their two-game road trip while extending their losing streak in Brooklyn to five. Houston also split its two-game regular season series against the Nets.

It was a wire-to-wire loss for the Rockets. The Nets jumped out to an early 6-0 lead, and Houston did not make their first field goal until Jeff Green scored on a driving layup with 10:30 left in the first quarter.

The Rockets trailed the Nets 21-14 when Alperen Şengün scored on a contested layup attempt at the 5:44 mark of the first period. However, by the end of the quarter, the Nets had outscored Houston 14-1, while the Rockets missed nine consecutive shots.

Their lone point came when Fred VanVleet split a pair of free throws. The Nets maintained their dominance in the second quarter and held a 28-point lead. Brooklyn led Houston 60-40 at the half.

The Rockets nearly completed an improbable comeback, which began with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, where Cam Whitmore's 3-point field goal cut Houston's deficit to 13 points.

Whitmore began to take over down the stretch. His dunk attempt helped the Rockets cut their deficit down to nine. Whitmore's 3-point field goal a few possessions later helped the Rockets come within six points (97-91) with 5:14 left in the fourth quarter.

Whitmore came off the bench and scored a dozen of his 19 points during the final quarter. Behind the rookie prospect, the Rockets outscored the Nets 34-18 in the period but fell short of a miraculous comeback.

Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green each added 19 points in the loss, while Şengün added 15 points and 11 rebounds. The Nets were led by Cam Thomas, who finished with a game-high 37 points on 11 of 19 shooting from the field, 3 of 6 from behind the arc.

Nets guard Cam Thomas drives past Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) in the second quarter at Barclays Center / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Another solid performance for Jalen Green:

Green had another impressive performance despite the Rockets falling to the Nets by two points. After scoring 19 points, Green is averaging 28.0 points over the previous three games. He also recorded 10 rebounds against the Nets, marking his second straight double-double.

Is Jabari Smith Jr. set to return soon?

The Rockets ruled Jabari Smith Jr. out for the fourth consecutive game due to a left ankle sprain. Coach Ime Udoka said before the game that the swelling in Smith's ankle had gone down. His status for Monday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers remains questionable.