Rockets Explode Kings by the great Maxime Raynaud
Losing two matches in a row is no longer a habit Rockets (14v-5d). The Texans, who lost their first two games of the season, erased a surprising upset at Utah with a commanding victory against Kings (5v-17d) with trio Alperen Sengun (28 points and 10 rebounds), Kevin Durant (24 points and 8 assists) i Amen Thompson (20 points and 12 rebounds) in excellent form.
All for a score (121-95) that reflects poorly on the nature of the match. It is really hard, considering the final deficit, to imagine that the guests were in the lead in the middle of the third quarter, after winning the first period with the smallest advantage (51-52). One of the main explanations for this surprise was French: Maquime Raynaud.
Thrown out on the floor after three minutes of the game instead of the almost silent carrier, Drew Eubanks, the Frenchman stood out as soon as he arrived with a converted basket… in front of the scoreboard. Then a second, then he finishes close to the circle, especially with his left hand… Maxime Reynaud wasted no time in crossing the 10-point mark.
Change in the third quarter
While most of the Kings’ starters had a lackluster night, he and Malik Monk – 50 points between them – were the main boosters in the Sacramento game. However, faced with the local armada, we suspected that it would not be enough.
The momentum shifted in the third quarter, when Houston decided to apply a well-known recipe: tighten up the defense to get going in transition. Where Kevin Durant, in the finish or distribution, and his team were unsustainable. Trailing by six points (57-63), the Kings responded with a 10-0 run and ended the quarter with a sweet score (36-19).
His team in complete control (87-71), Alperen Sengun, who has been relatively discreet in “scoring” until now, was then responsible for adding his touch under the circle to push the California team a little further past his play to finish.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– Rockets are always bigger and faster. If they made just five 3-pointers, it was because the Texans pressed where it hurt: in the opponent’s racket. The result: they scored more than 30 points more than the opponent (78-46), but also 30 more rebounds (62-32)! We also note the tendency of Ime Udoka’s men, visible in this famous third quarter, to project forward with 30 points scored on the counterattack (compared to 7 for the Kings).
– A new record for Maxime Raynaud. Recently, the author of 19 points, the 42nd pick of the last draft further improved this mark. With an impressive performance against Alperen Sengun, against whom he sometimes showed his support game and a very effective “floater”. It should be noted that its influence was mainly felt upstream of “garbage time”. At this pace, he has a good chance to regain the starting spot.
– The omnipresence of Stephen Adams. The Texas Exchange Center always knows how to be helpful. Another demonstration last night, and especially in a big third quarter stretch where he was in all the good shots with little gestures that made the difference (screens to open the circle, rebounds, etc.). In 18 minutes, he gave 11 points (5/6), 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.
– Zach LaVine isn’t worried. The back end suffered a serious hole in its worst outing of the season: 2 points on 1/5 shooting, including 0/3 from distance in 19 minutes. Doug Christie took him out midway through the third quarter only to call him back later, and Malik Monk was much more productive. On X, some even joked about asking the FBI to look into this failure…
2025-12-04 06:25:00
