LTL Barra Lateral Príncipe de Vergara, un restaurante informal a la par que elegante.

Rockets' Tari Eason Pretended To Be A Reporter To Ask Teammate Jabari Smith A Funny Question

After another victory, Houston Rockets wing Tari Eason got a journalistic itch that he just had to scratch.

During a media scrum with forward Jabari Smith following the win over the Grizzlies, Eason put on his metaphorical reporter hat. Eason said that he was from the "Clutch City Inquirer" (which is a truly phenomenal fake name for a Rockets publication) and got Smith's attention.

Eason said that he noticed Smith "get to the paint" unlike ever before.

He wanted to know if Smith felt that he was on his "bully" this season. While the question got a chuckle from the other reporters in the locker room, it was an insightful observation from Eason.

Smith, indeed, is getting to the rim more often this season than he did when he was a rookie. He finished 23 percent of his attempts at the rim last year, per Cleaning The Glass. This season, that has increased to 31 percent.

He averaged 2.6 paint touches per game last season and is now up 3.9 per game. That increase (1.3) ranks fifth-most among the 125 players who have averaged at least 40 touches per game this season and last season.

Rockets Beat Grizzlies 117-104 And Extend Home Winning Streak To 11 Games

HOUSTON (AP) Tari Eason scored a career-high 25 points, Jabari Smith Jr. Added 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Houston Rockets extended their home winning streak to 11 games with a 117-104 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.

Eason came off the bench to shoot 10 for 16 and matched a career high with 14 rebounds.

"I feel like this is something where I always play hard," Eason said. "When you play hard, all the extra stuff happens, but I wouldn't say I am doing anything outside of myself."

The Rockets and Grizzlies face off again Friday night in Memphis in the second game of the home-and-home set.

Houston's bench outscored the Grizzlies' backups 58-19.

"It's been big the last few games," Houston coach Ime Udoka said. "(It's a) welcome sight to have those guys back and the energy and change of pace that they bring. … It's a little sluggish at times, and they infuse some energy. Obviously, (they) got us a lead and got it back in the fourth quarter."

Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks each scored 11 points and Jae'Sean Tate had 10 points and seven rebounds for Houston, which shot 45%, including 12 of 32 from 3-point range. Houston outrebounded Memphis 58-39.

The Rockets' 11-game home winning streak is their longest since a franchise record 20-game run from Jan. 10-April 5, 2018.

Jaren Jackson Jr. Had a career-high 44 points and seven rebounds for Memphis, which lost its third straight game. Derrick Rose added 19 points and six assists and Vince Williams Jr. Had 10 points and seven rebounds.

Jackson was 15 of 24 from the field and scored 29 points in the second half.

"I'm just making sure my balance is good," Jackson said. "Not changing up the recipe too much, making it simple. Even when you miss, don't try to reinvent everything and just find guys when I start getting doubled."

The Grizzlies shot 43%, but were just 10 of 38 from long distance. Memphis forced 19 Houston turnovers, which they converted into 23 points.

Desmond Bane, who is Memphis' leading scorer at 24.8 points per game, was out with an illness. Bane became the 11th Grizzlies player to miss a game due to injury or illness this season.

Houston led by as many as 19 points in the second quarter before Memphis cut the lead to 57-43 at the half. The Grizzlies opened the second half on a 15-3 run and cut the Rockets' lead to 60-58 on a free throw by Williams with eight minutes remaining in the third.

Leading 82-81 to start the fourth, Houston opened the quarter on a 10-2 run, stretching its lead to 92-83 on a jumper by VanVleet with 9 1/2 minutes left. Memphis got no closer than six points the rest of the way.

---

AP NBA: https://apnews.Com/hub/NBA

Copyright 2024 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

Road Woes Bring Houston Rockets Back Down To Earth

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 19: Alperen Sengun #28 of the Houston Rockets reacts after an ... [+] offensive charge call against Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the fourth quarter at Crypto.Com Arena on November 19, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

Getty Images

It has been a season of streaks for the Houston Rockets. After dropping their first three games to start the season 0-3, Houston ripped off six straight—all at home—running their record to 6-3 and putting the league on notice that their doormat years were in the rearview mirror. A road trip against contenders brought three more losses before the team came home to lick its wounds and win two in a row.

Then last week, the Rockets hit the road again, dropping all three. Their record now stands at 8-9, perhaps taking some of the air out of recalibrated expectations in the immediate aftermath of the win streak.

On Tuesday, the Rockets lost to the Dallas Mavericks, 121-115. Then on Wednesday, they took a beating against a defending champion Denver Nuggets team out for revenge after dropping its first two against Houston. Jamal Murray's return was not as close as the 134-124 final score would indicate with the Nuggets controlling the game for the duration of the match. And on Saturday, Lebron James and Anthony Davis took out their frustrations on the young Rockets, 107-97.

The next week does not get any easier with the Rockets coming home for the second-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday and then going back on the road for yet another face-off with Denver. Wednesday's affair pits head to head two young big men in Alperen Sengun and Chet Holmgren who should have been starting next to each other had Thunder general manager Sam Presti not dealt Sengun to Houston on draft night for two future draft picks. Instead, they'll be battling for pecking order amongst the top young centers in the game.

The Comfort of Home

After briefly possessing the top ranked defense in basketball, the recent three game losing streak drops Houston to sixth in defense, with a defensive rating of 110.0. The Rockets have the 20th ranked offense with an offensive rating of 112.6. Houston's net rating has now dropped to 12th in the league, at +2.6.

The Rockets' are 8-1 at home and 0-8 on the road thus far this season. At home, the Rockets are shooting 46.9% from the floor while holding opponents to 41.9% shooting. They're shooting 38.2% on 3s while holding their opponents to 31.0%. The Rockets are averaging 111.9 points while holding their opponents to just 98.6 points per game. And they're averaging 46.0 rebounds and just 10.4 turnovers, while their opponents are averaging 43.8 rebounds and 12.9 turnovers per game.

On the road, the Rockets are shooting 47.0% from the floor while opponents shoot 47.2%. They're shooting just 33.3% on 3s while opponents shoot 35.3% from the same distance. The Rockets are averaging 108.0 points while giving up 117.0 points per game. On the road, they're averaging just 41.5 rebounds but 14.3 turnovers, while their opponents are averaging 44.9 rebounds and just 11.0 turnovers per game.

It's been a tale of two teams this season for the Rockets, at home and on the road. Probably not surprising at all for such a young team that home cooking has been helpful. If Houston wants to be taken seriously as a viable playoff threat as early as this season, they will need to cobble together some wins on the road. Fortunately for the Rockets, the schedule gets easier after what has been a brutal opening month.

Managing Expectations

While many my find the young Rockets' inconsistency frustrating, all in all, already, this season has been a smashing success. After three painful losing seasons in phase 1 of the franchise's rebuilding project, the goal for this season was simply to begin the process of looking like a viable NBA team again and instilling an identity under new head coach Ime Udoka. Instead, Houston has carried one of the stingiest defenses in the league into December and has identified in Sengun the player that should likely be the offensive centerpiece of the team's next era. Anything else that occurs from this point forward is mere house money. Even hovering around .500 would put Houston at nearly a 20-win improvement over the 2022-2023 season. A massive turnaround if things hold.

Sophomore forward Jabari Smith Jr., last year's third overall pick, is rounding into form, putting together an extremely impressive month of November after a slow start to the season. And while Jalen Green has had his ups and downs, 20th overall pick Cam Whitmore is back up (for now) from the G League with fourth overall pick Amen Thompson due to return soon from injury. Sengun is the team's star inside with Smith developing nicely into a complementary role. Will a perimeter star emerge and separate himself from the pack? From a macro team-building perspective, that's really the next big question for this Rockets team.

---