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Jabari Smith Jr stepped on someone’s ankle, game to game thing per Udoka

#Rockets win

Ah man. Jabari Smith Jr. went down grabbing the back of his heel. Non-contact it looked like. Limping badly as he goes to the bench.

Well damn, that's certainly a reversal. Rockets trailed by 19 in the third quarter but went on a run to lead the Magic, 81-80, entering the final frame. Durant has 26, 12 of that coming in the third quarter. Sheppard has 14, 11 of that came in the third. He went 4/5 in the Q

HALFTIME: Rockets trail Magic, 53-43. Houston shoot just 1/11 from three (lone make is DFS). Durant leads Rockets with 14p on 6/13 shooting, headed up in second quarter. Bane has 17 for Orlando, which has 11 OREBs already.

End of the first quarter: Magic 29, Rockets 22 Houston shoots 47.1 percent from the field and 0/3 from three. KD is 1/6. Rockets were outrebounded by five. Orlando has 12 second chance points. Bane has 9 to lead all scorers, Smith Jr. w 6 for HOU

The Rockets have no offensive rebounds and the Magic have seven. Not what I expected! Also unexpected: A Clint Capela-led fastbreak

MAILBAG CALLOUT: What questions do you have about the Houston Rockets? Ask and I'll potentially answer in the next Rockets Insider. Newsletter sends tomorrow morning, sign up using the link below:

The judge wrote both the defendants and the firm engaged in sanctionable conduct, but said the majority of it came from the firm. The six figure sanction penalty — larger than most — was only levied on the firm. www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/rocke...

Amen off the injury report for Magic Rockets tonight.

Amen Thompson is out for Wednesday's game with left quad tendinitis

Rewatching the 4th quarter, some thoughts: - Unit out there to start was just abysmal on D. Reed got blown by multiple times by Alvarado, poor communication from multiple players, ill-time gambles, not boxing out, all bad.

What went wrong for the Rockets in a disastrous fourth quarter last night. www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/rocke...

Worst loss of the season? Rockets shoot 27.8% in the fourth quarter and commit 9 TOs. Outscored 33-15.

Oof.

Right knee sprain for Tate, won't return tonight.

HALF: Rockets lead the Knicks, 54-53, after a blistering second quarter where they shot 80 percent from the field and from three. Şengün had 11 in the frame, he and Durant each have 13. Anunoby has 16p. Brunson has just two shots, 0/4.

Jae'Sean Tate is hurt. Limping really badly as he gets to the Rockets bench, needs assistance.

After one quarter, the Rockets trail the Knicks, 27-21. Houston is shooting 34.6 percent from the field but has taken four more field goals than NY. Durant 3/11, but heating up later in the period. 7p. Şengün 1/4, also has two fouls. Each has one turnover.

Udoka: Ideal average playing time for Durant would be 33-34 minutes. He's at 36.7 rn

Asked about Şengün's relative inefficiency, Rockets Coach Ime Udoka said teams are throwing more at the Houston big man. Team is stressing that he needs to continue being a hard roller, not rely just on iso/post up. Also about getting better post positioning.

I have a ticket to see Hanumankind in DC on 2/24 at 8pm (which I can’t go to because I moved). DM me if interested, looking for $40

Observations from a nice win for Houston to start the last stretch of this season: - The defensive adjustment that swung the game - KD's two-way impact - Dorian Finney-Smith looks more like himself - Amen Thompson was guarded by a center. What happened next? And more! Link 👇

#Rockets win, 105-101

Season-high in minutes for DFS

Lovely play by DFS to close the third quarter. He gets beat so KD comes to help off the strong corner. Charlotte tries to throw a pass to the player KD left open but DFS peels over to get the steal. He's a +14. The Rockets lead 80-78 at the end of three quarters.

DFS unsung hero of that first half. Team-high +10 despite scoring just 3p, nothing much on stat sheet. But multiple deflections, kept the engine moving on O, respected as a spacer.

Grant Williams hits a three at the buzzer but the Rockets still lead the Hornets, 53-52. Durant leads all scorers w 16. Kon has 9 for Charlotte. KD also has a steal and three blocks. Strong outing from Jabari Smith Jr., 4/5 from the field, 4 rebounds and a block.

Rockets on a 8-0 run, cut their deficit to just two.

End of the first: Rockets trail the Hornets, 33-24 Charlotte picked apart the Houston defense, 13/24 from the field, 5/10 from three. Aggro blitz-heavy scheme from the Rox worked early but quick passes to rollers started exposing holes. Rox offense not bad, 10/19. 4 TOs tho

Amen, with PJ Hall guarding him, screens for Reed Sheppard. No defender available at the screen because Hall has sagged back and Reed gets and makes an open three.

Nice start for Jabari Smith Jr., who has 3 points, a rebound and a very nice block — Rox blitzed ballhandler and allowed penetration inside, he met Kalkbrenner at the rim for a dunk.

They did it again. Amen runs the DHO with Tari, who gets a good driving lane and kicks to Şengün. Not the first time Houston has gone to these answers but doing so regularly early.

Hornets start with their center, Kalkbrenner, on Amen, who quickly gets into a DHO with Durant. They fumble the exchange so it doesn’t yield anything, let’s see how it progresses.

🚨📨MAILBAG CALLOUT📨🚨 What #Rockets questions do you have? Send em over and I may answer in the next Rockets Insider newsletter. Sign up (for free!) using the link below:

Kevin Durant spoke at Rockets practice today. I asked about the burner allegations. Here's what he said.

The Rockets are scrimmaging.

The Rockets are scrimmaging.

The Rockets are scrimmaging.

RIP Gus McCrae

Kevin Durant will play in his 16th All-Star game tonight. Before it kicks off, learn about how he structures his 15 minute pregame warmup — a chance to program his mind. Story and video with Elizabeth Conley for @houstonchronicle.com 👇🏾

The best thing you can say about the Houston Rockets as they enter the All-Star break is that their record and statistical profile don’t look like that of a team devastated by injuries. But they don't look like a title team. And that's okay. My latest for @houstonchronicle.com 👇

Houston Rockets probably can't win the NBA title this season. Here's why that's okay. www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/rocke...

A sneak peek of tmrw's Rockets Insider - How Alperen Şengün learned he was an All-Star - Udoka preaches accountability. How does that extend to him and his coaching staff? - Kevin Durant on his OKC return and a defensive strategy from LAC he'd never seen. Sign up for FREE 👇

Rockets lose 105-102 to enter ASB

Clips on a 11-0 run

18 turnovers for the Rockets. Durant has 6.

He's good

Amen a bit labored coming off the floor there, think he was holding his chest.