Summer League 2018: Rockets offense blasts off to beat Nets 109-102

The Rockets were clicking on Wednesday afternoon as they defeated the Nets 109-102 in the first round of the NBA Summer League tournament.

Seven Rockets scored in double figures: Danuel House (team-high 18), Zhou Qi (17), De’Anthony Melton (17), Deng Adel (13), R.J. Hunter (13), Markel Brown (12), Isaiah Hartenstein (10).

House was much more aggressive with his shooting in this game than he was in the previous two. Maybe it has something to do with Cox Pavilion, as his two good games were played in the smaller gym and his two poor games were located in the Thomas & Mack Center.

Zhou Qi continues to build a case for why he belongs on the roster full-time next season. He did that today with 17 points and seven boards. He also had three blocks on the defensive end, which could be the factor that gets him on next year’s team.

Melton also continued his hot streak offensively and also had three steals. I think it is very possible that Melton could see legitimate minutes in next year’s rotation.

Adel and Hunter both came off the bench and scored 13 points apiece. Adel hit all three of his triples and has had two consecutive double-double performances here in Summer League.

Markel Brown had a poor shooting night, shooting just 3-11 from the floor, but he was a +12 in the box score, which is something to be happy about.

Isaiah Hartenstein played 18 minutes in his return from a bruised hand injury. He had 10 points and five rebounds. However, none of his points came from the free throw line, something that became a common habit in his previous two games.

Vincent Edwards and Rob Gray did not play in today’s contest due to sprained ankles, but hopefully they will be back for Saturday’s Round of 16 match when the Rockets take on the Cavaliers. Tipoff is at 3:30 CT.