OKC Thunder Grabs League Pole Post; Houston Rockets Take Centerstage
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 30 Jan 2025
The Oklahoma City Thunder has temporarily taken the overall leasdership by going 7-3 in its last ten games compared to Cleveland Cavaliers' 5-5 nosedive in the opening month of 2025.
With a record of 36-8, OKC has wrested the lead from ertswhile long topnotcher Cleveland which currently totes 36-9. However a red flag on the Thunder's mark is its inability to handle its nemesis, Dallas, that pin OKC two of its recent losses (which is ominous with the two possibly meeting early in the post season if the formchart holds).
In that run, the Thunder was spearheaded by MVP leading contender ace shooting guard Shai Gilgeous Alexander who averages in the high 30s in scoring and power forward turned center Jaylin Williams who held himself in the slot in the continued absence of OKC's main big men Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hertenstein.
However, it is the West’s second running Houston Rockets that take the centerstage especially the past week with consecutive cliffhanger wins over the East top ball clubs including back to back over the Cavs as they finished with a record of 8-2 in their last ten games.
The Rockets are still 5.5 games behind OKC at 32-14 but the last week or so, Houston demonstrated that among the West’s top teams, it has the capability to take on and beat the East biggest squads.
In succession, Houston took on Cleveland twice (one at home and one on the road), Boston Celtics (on the road) and the always dangerous Atlanta Hawks (on the road). The Rockets won all four games which were decided in the waning seconds testifying to their maturity and end game steadiness.
Houston first hosted the Cavs at home and won 109-108 proving steadier on the charity lane with center Alperen Sengun going 2 for 2 for the winning points as the usually dependable Darius Garland cracking under the pressure and going just 1 for 3 with two ticks left and Donovan Mitchell missing on a desperate heave.
Visiting Cleveland the next game, the Rockets again won by a more comfortable margin in a high scoring contest, 135-131. Sengun and Fred Van Fleet scored 26 points each while Jalen Green and Amen Thompson tallied 23 and 20 respectively to put to waste the combined 93 points effort of Garland, Mitchell and George Niang.
Houston therefore swept its two game series versus the erstwhile hottest NBA squad.
Boston came next. The Celts had earlier easily beaten the Rockets 109-86 in Houston so it was the Rockets' turn to try and get back at Boston on their home floor. Coach Joe Mazzula figured that for the Celtics to prevent that, they had to control Sengun, Green and Van Fleet- the three he thought that keeps the Rockets offense going. The Celts did just that- limiting the point production of the three. But they never reckoned with Dillon Brooks who burned them with ten threes on the way to 36 points and Amen Thompson who cut loose for 33 points in leading Houston to a come from behind 114-112 victory at the TD Garden.
Once again, Houston's whole of the team approach under coach Ime Udoka, formerly of the Celtics, has proven its efficacy.
Yesterday, January 29, the Rockets visited Atlanta for the first of their two games matchup this season barely 24 hours after the struggle against the Celtics.
The Hawks were without ace center Clint Capella but 6-10 Onyeka Okungwu ably filled the gap while veterans Trey Young and De Andre Hunter looked to wreck havoc on the young Rockets team.
The Hawks were actually doing that in the first quarter mainly through Trey and Hunter. But the Rockets stage a fierce fight back starting in the second quarter. From then on it was a cat and mouse game with the two alternating in the driver seat.
In the end, the Rockets’ manpower advantage proved too much to handle with Green, Thompson and Sengun leading another balanced attack on the way to 100-96 victory.
This early, Houston is making known its readiness to vie at least for higher finish in the West.
Still, good luck to them. For as they say, there's still an eternity of basketball before the post season.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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