Houston Rockets vs. Sacramento Kings game preview

For three quarters, the Houston Rockets gave the upstart Sacramento Kings all they could handle.

But in the final 12 minutes, the team with All-Stars pulled away to the tune of a 41-point fourth quarter. This should come as no shock to anyone, but the Rockets are not good enough to weather a 41-point quarter at any point in the game. The Rockets are averaging 105 points per game during this eight-game losing streak. They’ve only held one team (Minnesota) under that total (the T-Wolves scored 104).

So:

1. The Rockets cannot score a lot of points
2. The Rockets are giving up a lot of points

That uh, doesn’t seem like a formula that can be flipped on its head quickly. Houston has hit the halfway point of the season and are on pace for the exact same number of wins as last year. The two players operating at a higher level than last season are Alperen Sengun and Kenyon Martin Jr., who are not the players you might have expected at the beginning of the season, and yet here we are.

I also want to point out that Martin dropped 21 points on 9-13 shooting against the Kings on Wednesday but still finished with a +/- of -21. That’s almost impressive. It’s like every time he made a field goal, he took the next two defensive possessions off.

Also, uh, we might need to starting talking about Jalen Green.

Tip-off is at 9pm CT on AT&T SportsNet Southwest