Key Takeaways from Rockets vs. Wizards

The Houston Rockets beat the Washington Wizards 107-92 last night. Houston is tied for fourth in the Western Conference.

Nov 11, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) scores against Washington Wizards forward Alexandre Sarr (20) in the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Last's night win for the Rockets should give them some confidence going into the game on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers. They played well as a whole, but there a few things to be noted from this game: lack of ball movement without Fred VanVleet, rebounding, and points in the paint.

The Rockets only had 13 assists as a team last night. This was their first game without VanVleet in the rotation. Houston is averaging 20.7 assists this season, and the point guard is averaging almost six on his own. Ball movement was low last night, as was shown in the assist total. Jalen Green and Amen Thompson became the primary ball-handlers last night, but only had three assists. VanVleet still plays a major role with the Rockets despite the team being young, and these numbers show exactly why.

Rebounding was the name of the game last night. Alperen Sengun put the team on his back, leading the Rockets in both points and rebounds. The center had 27 points and 17 boards. Washington got out-rebounded 58-34. A lot of these rebounds last night led to fast break points, which was also big for Houston. Going forward, they need to continue to dominate on the glass. The Rockets are one of the fastest paced teams in the league, and converting boards into fast-break points should be one of their keys to winning this season.

Houston had 60 points in the paint last night compared to Washington's 38. A lot of these points came off of fast-breaks. Steals played a big role as well converting to points in the paint. They had 12 steals as a team, Tari Eason and Thompson combining for a whopping seven. The duo dominated once again, collecting 23 points with most of them being from the paint. Sengun played an All-Star-esque game, scoring the majority of his points in the paint as well.

Houston needs to carry their paint dominance over in the season, but definitely for Wednesday's game. The Clippers are a big team, and Ivica Zubac is performing well this season. Paint dominance will be key to beating LA.

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