The manner in which the Houston Rockets won on Wednesday, with veteran guard Fred VanVleet missing 7 of 8 shots from the field while tallying only five points, seemed an impossibility last season.
But perhaps the clearest testament to how the Rockets have grown as a unit was on display in their 110-99 victory Wednesday over the Dallas Mavericks, a win that snapped a two-game losing streak in the third game of a five-game homestand that will continue Friday night against the Boston Celtics.
VanVleet contributed five rebounds, seven assists and six steals in the victory. However, the Rockets (22-11) didn’t require his scoring or his ability to organize the offense because others gradually have matured and embraced those roles in support. One of those “others” — Amen Thompson — was unavailable Wednesday as he served the first of a two-game suspension for an altercation with the Miami Heat on Sunday, but the Rockets were undaunted.
Houston has gained confidence relying on Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green to co-author the offense when VanVleet isn’t thriving in the dual role of complementary scorer and primary facilitator. Green recorded 22 points and capably kept the Rockets organized despite failing to record an assist.
Sengun produced a game-high 23 points plus four assists. He long ago proved adept at running the offense from the center position, with his court vision and skilled passing serving the Rockets well. In Green, Sengun and Thompson, the Rockets have uncovered options to share the load steering the ship and have grown less reliant on VanVleet and his veteran touch.
“I think across the board, the more guys you have that can get us into sets, penetrate, shoot, drive and all those things, it makes us more balanced and deadly,” Houston coach Ime Udoka said. “Fred keeping the turnovers down and getting us into sets last year was a big thing for us to improve our offense and improve the team overall. The growth of our young guys and those guys taking on that role with Fred being the recipient sometimes can be beneficial for us.”
The Celtics, meanwhile, eked out a much-needed 118-115 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday in the opener of a four-game road trip. Boston did so without Jaylen Brown (shoulder injury) and Kristaps Porzingis (ankle), with Jayson Tatum producing 33 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.
Boston finished 8-6 last month. As reigning champions, the Celtics haven’t suffered any lack of confidence following their mundane December, but the win in Minnesota could provide some propulsion.
“We’ve had a rough stretch the last eight or nine games,” Tatum said. “This January (we’re) trying to turn it around and get back to our identity.”
The road won’t get any easier for the Celtics, who will face the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets following their game with the Rockets. Even without Brown or Porzingis, the Celtics produced a template for how to win on the road against quality competition.
“Take it one game at a time,” Tatum said. “I love the way we competed. Our physicality was on point. That’s what it’s going to take. We play four really good, physical teams on the road, and were going to need everybody each game.”
