Rockets Game 7 Notebook: Another Teachable Moment For Houston

Coach Stephen Silas is turning a tough loss from the Suns into another teachable moment for the young Houston Rockets.

HOUSTON — Better effort. Better fight. Better play. Same results. The Houston Rockets dropped the third game of their west coast road trip Sunday night in a 124-109 loss to the Phoenix Suns inside the Footprint Center.  

Although Phoenix's margin of victory doesn't reflect Houston's enhanced effort, coach Stephen Silas said the Suns' experience was the deciding factor that resulted in the Rockets falling to a 1-6 record seven games into the 2022-23 season.

"They have been to the mountain top — they have been to the finals," Silas said. "They have been together for a long time. They know every counter when you are fighting. As hard as we fought, the score doesn't indicate how close this game was and how hard our team fought this game."

Silas was proud of his team for the fight and effort they showcased against the Suns. But more importantly, Houston's performance could act as a lecture amid Silas' ongoing seminar as the Rockets continue to use their hardships as lessons.

The top lesson for Silas following Houston's loss to the Suns was late-game execution. The Suns recorded a wire-to-wire win over the Rockets, but Houston stayed within striking distance up until the final five minutes of the game. 

The Rockets trailed the Suns 103-98 when Bismack Biyombo connected on an And-1 layup attempt. Biyombo's basket led to the Suns closing the game with a 21-11 run over the Rockets.

When Silas departed Phoenix after another formidable loss, the past struggles of the Suns maintained a sense of positivity. With Devin Booker as a promising prospect, Silas remembered a time when the Suns were in a similar position as the Rockets five years ago.

The Suns stayed with their rebuilding corps. The players began to apply the lessons learned. And their grind ultimately resulted in Phoenix re-establishing itself as one of the NBA's premier teams.

"Five years ago, we used to come in here and take for granted a win against the Suns," Silas said. "But slowly but surely, they started to get guys, and they stayed together. They got better. And they got all the way to The Finals. But at one time, they had a lot of young guys trying to figure it out — just like our young guys.

"There is a lesson that could be learned. With experience and staying together, this [the Suns] is what it looks like at the end. I remember when they went through it. There were dark days here."  

Josh Christopher makes his case for reserve minutes 

Since the Rockets' season opener against the Atlanta Hawks, Silas has revealed that he was still evaluating which players play well together with different lineups. Injuries have hindered Silas' chances of putting together the right combination of talent.

Houston's starting five, led by Kevin Porter Jr. with a team-best 26 points, kept the Rockets competitive against the Suns. But the bench unit made the idea of pulling off an upset victory realistic.

The Rockets received great bench production from Usman Garuba and Tari Eason. But the most significant change in Houston's reserve unit came as the result of playing Josh Christopher. 

He played 13 minutes and notched seven points and five rebounds. His play against the Suns was a testament to why Silas needs to make Christopher apart of his rotation. 

Christopher has seen a decline in minutes through the first six games of the season. Last year he averaged 18.0 minutes per game. But this year, Christopher's minutes have decreased to 7.4 minutes per game.

Quick Hits:

- The Rockets out-rebounded the Suns 49-36 despite falling short on the road. 

- Alperen Sengun is starting to find his rhythm in the starting lineup. Sengun, who made his second consecutive start of the season, recorded 16 points, nine rebounds and two assists.

- Jalen Green had another game where he struggled on the offensive side of the ball. He scored 15 points on 4-of-18 shooting from the field. He scored 13 of his point total during the first half.

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