The Houston Rockets were without their top two scorers Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers. Point guard Kevin Porter Jr. missed his second straight game due to a foot injury sustained in Sacramento, while shooting guard Jalen Green was serving a one-game suspension for leaving the bench during an altercation.
With both players missing, Houston had to depend on some of its role players to fill the gap in scoring. Forward KJ Martin knew the assignment and was ready when his number was called. He finished with 22 points and 9 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough for the Rockets to avoid their 10th straight loss, as they fell by a 121-100 margin.
“KJ, with his finishes at the rim,” said Rockets head coach Stephen Silas, who was asked in his postgame interview about who impressed him by stepping up against the Clippers.
Coach Silas wasn’t the only one impressed by how Martin played on Sunday. Judging by the gasps in their reactions, many fans inside the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles were amazed by how Martin attacked the rim, with seven of his nine made shots being dunks.
With Green and perhaps Porter back in the lineup, Martin will look to keep his momentum going at the same arena when the Rockets visit the Lakers on Monday night. Tipoff is at 9:30 p.m. Central.
