The Rockets have maximized their ability to create offense without a traditional point guard, with results often varying from game to game and sometimes from quarter to quarter.
Houston excelled offensively without its top facilitator, center Alperen Sengun, on Saturday, rolling to a 117-100 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first of consecutive home games following a six-game road trip. The Rockets will host the scuffling Indiana Pacers on Monday.
Kevin Durant (30 points, seven assists) and Reed Sheppard (18 points, eight assists off the bench) shouldered the bulk of the scoring and ball distribution against the Cavaliers. Sengun leads the Rockets in assists per game (6.8) this season and frequently plays his part in both roles.
Spreading those duties among so many players comes with challenges. The Rockets realized this was their path forward when point guard Fred VanVleet sustained a severe preseason knee injury.
“Some guys were recipients and handlers,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said of the win over Cleveland. “When you get Amen (Thompson) and Reed and Kevin and all these different guys, it feels like we can pick our spots on where to go, and that’s when the turnovers can get high, when multiple guys are handlers. But we need everybody to improve in that area.”
Durant was especially skilled at walking that fine line against the Cavaliers. His scoring was efficient, and when the Cavaliers tried to limit his shot-making, Durant passed to open teammates. The Rockets’ team-oriented approach was successful with Durant acting as the main focal point.
“I think a lot of stuff is set up by my ability to score,” Durant said. “I think defenses guard me based off my ability to score and I think that’s what opens up stuff for my teammates. There are times where I overpass and times where I overshoot, but as many times as I’m going to touch the ball, I’m going to figure it out at some point.
“The defense is always afraid of me scoring the basketball. So I’ll try to use that to my advantage to get open shots for the rest of my team.”
The Pacers took their eighth consecutive loss on Saturday, falling 142-116 on the road to the Miami Heat. Mired in last place in the Eastern Conference, the Pacers have labored against injuries this season and have the worst offense in the NBA, averaging 107.7 points per 100 possessions.
Indiana received a boost to its rotation in Miami when Aaron Nesmith (shoulder) returned from a 19-game injury absence and posted nine points, five rebounds and two blocks in 19 minutes. Still, with long-term (Tyrese Haliburton and Obi Toppin) and short-term (T.J. McConnell and Ben Sheppard) absences undermining progress, the Pacers remain a compromised unit.
“(It was) good to have Aaron back,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “I thought he did a lot of good things. Moved well, made some shots — those were all positives.
“There were plenty of positives interspersed in those first three quarters. But it’s a 48-minute game, and we’re going to have to do better putting together 48 minutes.”
