Houston Rockets 'No Matter the Hardships' Stay Together Through Adversity: Notebook

Houston Rockets 'No Matter the Hardships' Stay Together Through Adversity: Notebook

HOUSTON — Jabari Smith Jr. said the will to win kept the Houston Rockets together during their three-game losing streak. And against the Charlotte Hornets, the drive led to a 128-119 win for the Rockets, their first victory of the 2023-24 season. 

"It's just the fuel that losing brings," Smith said. "The will to win is what kept us together. And if everybody is playing to win, everybody will play the right way."

The Rockets held a pair of double-digit leads against Charlotte. But each time Houston had a chance to cruise to an easy win, the Hornets battled back to cut into the lead. The most significant scare the Hornets caused came midway during the fourth quarter.

The Rockets held a 106-92 lead with 6:25 left before the Hornets went on an 18-9 run. With Houston up by five (115-110), coach Ime Udoka called a time-out with 2:41 left in the quarter.

The Rockets did not bicker and argue. Smith said they declared in the huddle that they will not lose the game. As a result, the Rockets picked up their production on both ends to close on a 13-9 run.

Houston's ability to stave off the Hornets' comeback stemmed from the back-to-back heartbreaking losses against the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors. Each game taught the Rockets how to keep their composure when facing in-game adversity.

"It's about consistency and playing the right way," Smith said. "It doesn't matter if shots are going in, it's about sticking to what we know works, and that's playing together and playing defense.

"No matter the hardships, struggles or the losses, we will always stand together. We have leaders. We got the coaches. And I feel like we are going to do it."

Fred VanVleet finished with 22 points on 8-for-17 shooting, 5-for-10 from behind the arc, and 11 assists. He scored 19 points during the first half to help Houston take an 18-point lead with 6:24 left in the second quarter.

However, the Rockets' production on both ends became stagnant during the final five minutes. The Hornets closed the half on a 23-8 run, which led to Houston holding a 61-58 lead at halftime.

Smith entered the half with four points but began to break out of his offensive slump during the third quarter. He scored 10 points during the period to help the Rockets regain their momentum.

After ending the second quarter "sloppy," Smith said they came out of halftime with energy. His will to win motivated him to step up during the second half, and his contributions displayed his importance.

In addition to scoring a season-high 17 points (7-10 FG, 3-5 3PT), Smith added seven rebounds, four assists and a block in the win. 

"When he gets going, it obviously opens us up even more," Udoka said. "He hasn't been playing up to his standard to start the season so far. And that puts a burden on everybody else. 

"When he's doing what he's doing out there, making shots, rebounding and assisting defensively, it's just another added luxury. Loved his aggressiveness."

Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. attempts to drive with the ball around Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Beating the Hornets at their own game: The Rockets began the season with the ambition of being one of the fastest teams in the league. But three games in, they were one of the slowest.

Houston entered the game as the third-slowest team, averaging 96.97 in pace. The Rockets' pace could have been an issue against the Hornets, given that Charlotte began the season as the second-fastest team (105.50 in pace).

Udoka said the goal for the Rockets to improve their pace was to "get stops." Their defensive efforts against the Hornets helped matched Charlotte's pace at 102.0 during the win. The results led to the Rockets outscoring the Hornets 21-15 in transition points.

"A lot of good transition teams, there might be an area of weakness on the other end," VanVleet said. "We understood that if we were able to get stops, we had some opportunities in transition.

"We pushed the pace early. We didn't come up with a great defensive approach early on, but once we found that rhythm to get stops, playing out in transition created easy offense."

Amen Thompson sustains ankle injury: Amen Thompson's night came to an early end at the 4:54 mark of the third quarter. Thompson stepped on J.T. Thor's foot and sustained a Grade 2 right ankle sprain. He could not put weight on his ankle in the locker room and left the arena on crutches. 

Before the injury, Thompson came off the bench and recorded four points, one rebound and one assist. With four minutes left in the first quarter, Thomson converted a one-handed alley-oop dunk over the top of Brandon Miller, assisted by Jae'Sean Tate.