Rockets Game 15 Notebook: Usman Garuba Becomes Life Of Block Party

During the Houston Rockets' road victory against the Mavericks, second-year prospect Usman Garuba became the life of the block party in Dallas.

HOUSTON — When Usman Garuba stepped onto the floor of the American Airlines Center, he did so with the same expectation as the previous 14 games. Garuba, who has averaged 3.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.7 blocks, has given the Houston Rockets modest production off the bench. 

But Wednesday night, Garuba finally illustrated the talent that led general manager Rafael Stone to use a 2021 first-round pick on a prospect from Spain. 

Garuba's contributions helped the Rockets record a 101-92 win over the Dallas Mavericks. He finished the game with a career-best 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting, seven rebounds and three blocks.    

"I just played with energy and intensity," Garuba said. "Trying to make the right plays on the offensive end, defensive end also. That’s how we played. We got 19 blocks — that’s crazy. That was effort. We want to win games, of course, we’re not winning as much as we want, but we play hard and that’s what we need."

His play against the Mavericks was a testament to the most critical lesson he learned amid his injury-plagued rookie season. Garuba said he used the time spent on the sidelines to learn how to stay ready on an NBA level. 

Garuba learned that it did not matter if he played five minutes or more, he must play with the same level of intensity while approaching each game as if it was his last. 

"I feel like we have the potential to be a very good defensive team in the future," Garuba said. "We have a lot of guys who are working [on defense]. We worked this summer on the defensive end. We worked a lot, we’re ready for it."

A defensive block party up I-45

Since the end of last season, coach Stephen Silas has been adamant about enhancing the Rockets' defensive production. Houston netted a 116.4 defensive net rating during the 2021-22 campaign, which resulted in the team finishing the year with the league's worst defense.

But instead of focusing on the disappointing efforts throughout the entire 82-game season. Silas became enamored by the late-season progress where Houston's defense ranked 21st in the league following their overtime victory against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 8.

Silas has used the final 17 games of last season as the blueprint to enhance the team's defensive production, and his vision came to fruition against the Mavericks.

The Rockets finished the game with 19 blocks, as Alperen Sengun led the way with a career-high five.

"As the ball got to the paint we protected the rim with our blocks," Silas said. "That’s not a number you see very often, 19. I don’t know what the Rockets' record is. We got guys like Dream [Hakeem Olajuwon] and Yao [Ming]. I guess we got some guys who can get 10 on their own in our team’s history. Definitely proud of our defensive effort tonight."

The Rockets came one block shy of tying the franchise record (20) set during the 1984-85 season against the Denver Nuggets. 

Jabari Smith Jr., who considers defense as his greatest on-court attribute, accounted for two of the Rockets' 19 blocks. But Silas was more pleased by the steps Smith took acting as the team's defensive anchor in Dallas.

"He was all over the place, and that’s one of the things that I’ve been talking to him about," Silas said. "The effect he can have on the defensive end, and he did a very good job tonight."

Facing an old friend in Wood

For the first time since his departure in June, the Rockets faced Christian Wood as an opponent. In 31 minutes of play, Wood came off the bench and notched 26 points and eight rebounds in the loss against his old team. 

Before the game, Silas shared his adoration for his former big man, stating how proud he is to witness Wood's growth on and off the court after he joined the Rockets in December 2020.

"He’s been through a lot," Silas said. "He came in basically as a kid and has had ups and downs and successes. He’s continuing to get better and better with his maturity and his game."

Quick Hits:

- The Rockets had seven players who scored in double figures, with Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. leading the way with 17 points. 

- Eight out of the 10 players who stepped onto the court Wednesday night recorded at least one block. Porter joined Garuba with three rejections. 

- After an abysmal shooting night during the loss against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, the Rockets shot 45.5 percent from behind the arc against the Mavericks.

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

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