The Rockets make short work of Wizard Alex Sarr

Without much fuss, Rockets move into the top four in their conference. It was not difficult for the Texans last night to get rid of the worst team in the championship, the Wizards. The final difference (135-112) clearly reflects the dominance shown by Kevin Durant (23 points) and his gang.

Despite their status, the guests had the “merit” to hold on for the first 10 minutes of the match, especially thanks to a good start by Kishon George. But the Wizards quickly showed their limits against opponents who were too big, too altruistic, too skilled for them.

Always with the desire to move forward. Early in the second quarter, former Texans tight end Cam Whitmore, for example, intercepted the ball and took off on a counterattack. Then Houston spontaneously restarted and found Tarry Eason for a 3-pointer, who was penalized five seconds after receiving the basket. Eason who with Reed Shepard really energized the Houston offense with 41 points between them off the bench.

27 points behind at the break

On the starting side, Kevin Durant still did damage in the middle distance, while Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson, the main creators of their formation, did not have to push. The difference naturally increased, with a lead of 11 units after 12 minutes (40-29), then 27 at the break (81-54).

Thanks to the internal activity of Alex Sara, the visitors showed a somewhat conquering face in the third act. Enough to restart a game that was headed for massive “garbage time.” At the beginning of the fourth quarter, after Cory Kispert’s winning basket, Washington was only 13 points behind (90-103).

Once again, the Eason-Sheppard duo got the somewhat sleepy Texans back in the right direction. Then, with three minutes left, Sengun converted a 3-pointer and the deficit once again exceeded 20 points. The two coaches could then empty their bench.

WHAT TO REMEMBER

– Full throttle attack. In raw terms, the Heat and Nuggets are scoring slightly more than the Rockets this season. But out of 100 possessions (123.1 points), the men from Ime Udoka have the most efficient attack in the league. A new illustration with this outing where the home team, who scored at least 70 points in the first period for the third time this season (compared to a total of 4 times last year), continued to take advantage of their size advantage. With, in addition to numerous sequences in transition, a lot of balls reaching the post to generate two-handed shots to better skin the shooters. The pair of Eason-Sheppard especially benefited in this match. They finished 9/14 away, which encouraged a good collective ratio (17/34).

– 10 in a row… Alex Sarr can replicate notable performances, but his team continues to dive. This failure is the 10th defeat in a row for his club, good for last in the conference and even in the league. The Wizards have a golden opportunity to end this streak: Sunday when they host the Nets, one of the few teams competing in mediocrity.

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How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = point difference when the player is on the court; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.