NBA: Houston, riding the Rockets, blew the Nets away

Michael Porter Jr. has become in Brooklyn exactly what many predicted. A beast. An unstoppable scorer. That’s how the former Denver Nuggets player looks now — no longer just part of a system, but the system itself. The big question, though, is how many wins that can actually bring.

Likewise, when he’s not on the floor, the question is how much Brooklyn can do — and the answer is: not much. The Houston Rockets visited the Nets and cruised to a routine 120–96 win in front of the home crowd.

Ime Udoka’s team played exactly the way a title contender should: confidently and without unnecessary complications. They knew they were the better side and proved it. From the opening tip, Houston scored with ease against Brooklyn’s fragile defense, while on the other end they forced Cam Thomas into very difficult shots. He made some and missed others, but the rest of the team was effectively shut down — which was the key for the visitors.

Had Houston shot a bit better from three-point range (12-of-29), the victory could have been even more convincing. One of the Rockets’ weaknesses earlier this season had been their lack of assists, but that issue disappeared on this night, as they dished out 28.

Kevin Durant, in particular, handed out 11 assists to go along with 22 points. He handled double teams superbly, allowing others to benefit — most notably Amen Thompson, who led all scorers with 23 points. Alperen Sengun added 20, Tari Eason scored 15, while Jabari Smith Jr. and Reed Sheppard chipped in 14 apiece.

On the other side, Thomas was Brooklyn’s top scorer with 21 points, Ziaire Williams had 14, and Noah Clowney and Nic Claxton finished with 11 each. No other Net reached double figures, though Day’Ron Sharpe, Jalen Wilson, and Drake Powell all scored eight.

With the win, Houston improved to 21–10 and now looks ahead to a Texas derby against Dallas. Brooklyn, meanwhile, dropped to 10–21 and will visit the Washington Wizards in the nation’s capital in their next game.