It did not warrant front page headlines, but the nature of the victory spoke volumes.
How would the Houston Rockets respond in the aftermath of a gut wrenching defeat at Madison Square Garden? Would they get up for the lowly Utah Jazz in the dog days of February?
There was no lull.
Houston stormed to a 21 point halftime lead, carried the momentum into the second half and, just as importantly, kept its starters under 36 minutes. It was efficient. Professional. Necessary.
That is the blueprint they will attempt to carry over against the Sacramento Kings, whose wins lately have been scarce.
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When The Sporting News reached Mark Jones, who calls national games for ESPN while also serving as the television voice of the Kings, the relief in his voice was unmistakable after Sacramento snapped a 16 game losing streak.
“That was an historic exhale,” Jones said.
“People from the outside looking in are not going to see the meticulous precision and professionalism of DeMar DeRozan. The impact it is having on our young Kings like Murray, Clifford, Raynaud and Cardwell. How it has impacted their improvement.”
Though he will be handling ESPN duties and not on the Kings call for this one, Jones said there is one matchup he will be keeping a close eye on.
“I am looking forward to watching Raynaud go against Houston’s bigs. Sengun and the rest. Raynaud had his career high the last time. He is leading all rookies in double doubles. He is the steal of the second round.”
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From there, Houston heads to Orlando, a city that still invokes memories of the 1995 Finals and the franchise’s last NBA title, before closing the stretch at Miami and then a homecoming for Kevin Durant, the Seat Pleasant, Maryland native, returning to face Washington.
These are the games that shape playoff seeding.
The hidden victories.
The ones that separate good teams from disciplined ones.
And they are the games that quietly strengthen Ime Udoka’s Coach of the Year case.
How many teams would sit third in the Western Conference without their starting point guard for the season?
Not many.
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