Rockets top Thunder in OT for 10th straight win, eye play-in

OKLAHOMA CITY — Houston Rockets proprietor Tilman Fertitta, entrance workplace personnel and members of the support employees lined the hallway exterior the Paycom Center guests’ locker room, hollering, hugging and high-fiving gamers after probably the most shocking profitable streak of the NBA season reached double digits.

The Rockets prolonged their profitable streak to 10 video games with a 132-126 additional time win Wednesday evening over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It’s the second-longest profitable streak in the league this season, trailing solely an 11-game run by the NBA-leading Boston Celtics. It’s Houston’s longest profitable streak because the Rockets gained 11 in a row in March 2018, when MVP James Harden led them to a league-best 65-17 document.

It was a milestone second for a franchise in “Phase 2” of a rebuild after enduring the agony of ending final in the Western Conference the earlier three seasons.

“Oh, it was lit,” Rockets rising star Jalen Green mentioned after a 37-point, 10-rebound, 7-assist efficiency. “Everybody was happy, celebrating, screaming. We fought for that one. We worked hard. That’s how we should react after going 10-0. We’ll still keep going. We got what, 10 more games left?”

Houston (37-35) has life like hope of enjoying past the ten video games remaining on its regular-season schedule. The win over the Thunder, who have been with out star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on account of a quadriceps contusion, allowed the Rockets to stay just one recreation behind the Golden State Warriors in the battle for the West’s closing play-in spot.

“We’re going to get a play-in game,” Green mentioned. “We’re going to keep going.”

Green, the No. 2 general choose in the 2021 draft whose profession has been marked by inconsistency, has been spectacular all through the profitable streak. He has averaged 29.8 factors over the ten video games, taking pictures 51.0% from the ground and 45.9% from 3-point vary.

Green’s 37 factors in opposition to the Thunder and all-defensive candidate Luguentz Dort got here on 14-of-24 taking pictures, together with 7-of-11 from 3-point vary. He put the ending touches on the efficiency by hitting a step-back 3 over Dort with 1:04 remaining in additional time and driving down the center for a reverse layup in visitors for the dagger on the subsequent possession.

“We know he’s that guy,” mentioned Rockets ahead Dillon Brooks, who scored eight of his 20 factors in additional time. “So we let him loose, we let him go and he’s on a hot streak.”

Houston coach Ime Udoka praises Green extra for his enchancment in different aspects of the sport — particularly protection, rebounding and passing — than for his scoring manufacturing. Udoka confirmed the Rockets one movie clip in the locker room postgame: a clutch nook 3 by Jabari Smith Jr. off of a drive-and-kick dish from Green that epitomized the belief that the first-year Houston coach has emphasised.

“I think it’s invaluable for our young guys to go through this,” Udoka mentioned of the Rockets enjoying significant video games in late March. “And obviously making the playoffs or play-in will be another step, but just going through what they are now and coming on the other side of .500 is huge for them.”

At 22, Green is one of some younger, excessive lottery picks making a serious influence for the Rockets throughout their run.

Rookie ahead Amen Thompson had 25 factors and 15 rebounds in Wednesday’s win, the primary 25-point, 15-rebound outing for a Houston participant since Yao Ming in December 2022, in keeping with ESPN Stats & Information analysis. Thompson, 20, the No. 4 general choose in the final draft, has averaged 15.4 factors and eight.8 rebounds whereas taking pictures 62.5% from the ground through the Rockets’ 10-game run. Houston has allowed solely 107.6 factors per possession with Thompson on the ground throughout that span, which is stingier than the NBA’s top-ranked protection for the season.

Smith, 20, the No. 3 general choose in the 2022 draft, has been stable since sliding from energy ahead to heart after franchise cornerstone Alperen Sengun suffered a severely sprained ankle in the second recreation of the streak. Smith, who had 16 factors in the win over the Thunder, has averaged 13.3 factors and seven.4 rebounds through the streak.

“These guys want to win,” mentioned Rockets level guard Fred VanVleet, who Houston recruited in free company to function a frontrunner for the younger crew. “They want to do stuff the right way. They’ve been doing everything that’s asked of them. The result was not always the best, but over this last stretch here, we’re starting to see some of the results and you could see them realizing the process works and buying in and trusting. Confidence grows, and then you run off a couple in a row.

“We’re in the center of that form of course of proper now and making an attempt to get pleasure from each second of it.”