The Rockets are showing they could be one piece away from serious title contention

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BOSTON — To Amen Thompson’s surprise, with five seconds left in a tied midseason game against the defending NBA champions, Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka called a play for the second-year forward.

“I liked the matchup,” said Udoka, who coached the Boston Celtics to the Finals in 2022.

Thompson, who cracked the starting lineup earlier this month for the second-place team in the Western Conference, was being defended by 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown. Thompson calmly corralled the inbounds pass, drove his Celtics counterpart to the right block, stopped on a dime, took one step to his left and drained the first game-winner of his NBA career. It was everything that made Thompson the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft — the athleticism, the strength, the skill and, now, the confidence.

Asked if his 33 points, nine rebounds and four assists marked the best performance of his career, Thompson said, “Second best.” And what was the best? “Game 2 of the Overtime Elite finals.” To which teammate Dillon Brooks, who had his own career night, yelled across the locker room, “OTE don’t count.”

The floater announced both Thompson’s arrival as a future superstar and Houston’s entrance into this year’s title conversation. Since being reinserted into the starting lineup on Jan. 5, Thompson is averaging 19.2 points (on 57.4% shooting from the field), 11.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.2 blocks a game. The Rockets are 9-2 against a brutal schedule in that span, and over the past week, in addition to their win over the defending champs on Monday, they have twice beaten the East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers.

“Our record is what it is, and it’s not just a fluke,” said Udoka, whose team improved to 31-14 and eclipsed Boston for the league’s third-best record, trailing the Cavs and Oklahoma City Thunder. “People watch film, they see the physicality and the way we play. It’s a little different from the rest of the league, and maybe that takes people off guard initially, but I wouldn’t say we’re sneaking up on anybody anymore.”

They may not be scaring anyone, either, at least in the playoffs. Starting point guard Fred VanVleet…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/the-rockets-are-showing-they-could-be-one-piece-away-from-serious-title-contention-174917705.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2025-01-28 17:49:00

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