Toronto 139, Houston 120: Rockets struggle on defense in fourth straight loss

The Houston Rockets are heading back to the drawing board after a 139-120 loss to the Toronto Raptors.

With the win, the Raptors continue an eight-game winning streak, while the Rockets are now on a four-game skid.

The game started out with tons of offense and the Rockets pulled out an early lead, scoring 41 points in the first to take a four-point lead. The 41 first quarter points is the second-highest total of the season, and the team shot 76 percent.

Unfortunately, the second quarter is when things began to go downhill for the Rockets, as the Raptors outscored the home team 36-23.

For the Raptors, the scoring barrage was led by Pascal Siakam, who scored 30 points, and Gary Trent Jr., who scored a season-high 42.

The Rockets tried to push their way back into the game, but the Raptors offense was too much for the Rockets to handle.

For the second straight game, Kevin Porter Jr. shined, setting a new season high with 30 points. He led all Rockets in scoring and all five starters finished in double figures.

The starters put the Rockets in the game, but the bench could not keep in the game.

Despite the loss, the strong performances from KPJ and Jalen Green are encouraging and the team should have something to build off this loss moving forward.

The Rockets are off for the weekend but pick things back up Monday night in Salt Lake City against the Utah Jazz. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT.