The Houston Rockets — yes the Rockets — are the hottest team in the NBA with a seven-game winning streak after an impressive victory over the short-handed Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.
Two weeks ago, the Rockets (8-16) were in the middle of a horrendous losing streak and fans were lamenting that their season was already ruined after a 1-16 start. Since then, the Rockets rattled off seven consecutive victories and have a winning streak on the line when they face the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks on Friday evening.
The Rockets are +9 home dogs against the Bucks tonight. Betting-wise, the Rockets improved to 12-11-1 ATS, but they’re still 10-14 in hitting the over this season.
So, what happened to the Rockets? They finally figured out how to score. During their 15-game skid, the low-scoring Rockets averaged 98.2 ppg and failed to crack the century mark nine times.
The Rockets scored at least 102 points or better during their seven-game winning streak while averaging an impressive 118.6 ppg. Four different players led the Rockets in scoring during the winning streak, which means everyone is sharing the ball.
Sure, the Rockets beat up on a couple of bad teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder (twice), the Orlando Magic, and the New Orleans Pelicans, but they also surprised the Chicago Bulls and the Nets.
OT in Buzz City
After losing 15 in a row, the Rockets upset the Bulls 118-113. Eight players scored in the double digits, led by Daniel House with 18 points off the bench. Christian Wood added 16 points and 10 rebounds in the pivotal win that stopped their 15-game losing streak.
Over Thanksgiving weekend, the Rockets defeated the Charlotte Hornets 146-143 in overtime. The win was their third in a row and set the tone for the next week. Wood unleashed a monstrous game with 33 points and 16 rebounds. Four starters scored at least 20 points, while Ja’Sean Tate added 16 points.
“It felt great to get a big win,” said Wood said. “We went a month without winning a game. We haven’t seen that winning energy in the locker room, so it’s good to see it. Now (that) we have that winning momentum, and we need to just carry it over.”
The Rockets didn’t want to let James Harden get the best of them in his return to Houston. Kevin Durant sat out for the Brooklyn Nets due to load management, and the Rockets picked them off 114-110 to extend their winning streak to seven in a row.
“The adversity that we went through prior to this point has made it even sweeter,” said head coach Stephen Silas. “We’re feeling pretty good about ourselves.”
Harden scored 25 points, but only shot 3-for-12 from 3-point range, thanks to smothering perimeter defense. Eric Gordon scored 21 points in the victory in another game in which all five starters tallied double digits. Christian Wood only scored 12 points, but he hauled down 15 rebounds and added three assists, three blocks, and one steal.