Third-year guard Kevin Porter Jr. continued his run of strong play with another season-high scoring total, but it wasn’t enough to win on Thursday at Toyota Center versus one of the NBA’s hottest teams.
Led by 42 points from Gary Trent Jr. and 30 points by Pascal Siakam, Toronto (31-23) won its eighth straight game and continues to own the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference — enough to make the playoffs without having to go through the play-in tournament.
For a second straight game, Kevin Porter Jr. (30 points, 8 assists) set a new season-high in scoring for the young and rebuilding Rockets (15-40). “KPJ” was efficient in doing so, making 11-of-16 shots overall (68.8%) and 6-of-9 from 3-point range (66.7%), but it wasn’t enough to make up for Houston’s lethargic defense in a 139-120 home loss (box score).
Backcourt mate Jalen Green scored an efficient 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting (53.8%) and 3-of-6 on 3-pointers (50.0% FG), while Christian Wood had a well-rounded game with 17 points (50.0% FG), 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 blocks. For the big man, there was clearly some relief after making it through the trade deadline and staying in Houston.
The Rockets also weren’t helped by 21 turnovers, with many coming courtesy of a full-court press that the Raptors frequently ran when Porter was not on the floor and Houston did not have a clear point guard. Head coach Stephen Silas noted postgame that the trade deadline acquisition of veteran guard Dennis Schroder might help that dynamic.
Scroll on for highlights and postgame reaction from Thursday night. The Rockets will now have a few days off before starting a three-game Western Conference road trip on Monday in Utah.
