Jalen Green, Rockets Learning From Rocky Start

HOUSTON — By the time fans could get settled into their seats at Toyota Center on Wednesday, the Rockets were already down by 18 points to the Los Angeles Clippers. The mood had that “here we go again” feeling like last season, when the Rockets would find themselves down early in a game and could never recover.

Yet, this group of players does not have the same demeanor as last year’s team that finished at the bottom of the Western Conference. Despite a 1-8 start, this is a scrappy group of young, talented players who are gaining confidence every time they step on the court.

Clippers veteran Paul George made a tough shot to beat the Rockets on Monday in a game where Houston trailed for much of the game but fought back to take a late lead. With that in mind, Los Angeles knew that Houston would not roll over on Wednesday, and the Rockets used a 35-17 run to get themselves back into the game.

Those fans in attendance, who were getting to watch their team play at home for only the third time in the first nine games of the 2022-23 regular season, helped fuel the Rockets during the comeback by matching the same energy they saw from that youthful group.

Even though Houston put up a solid effort in the second half and took a brief lead in the third quarter, too much experience and too many turnovers led to the 109-101 loss to the Clippers.

“It’s been frustrating, but a learning lesson at the end of the day,” said second-year Rockets guard Jalen Green. “We just have to play as a team, stick together. Down the stretch, we got to execute plays. Things like that. We just don’t have that right now.”

Green, who finished the game with 22 points, including 14 in the third quarter, knows that everything they have been going through in the first nine games of the season will only help them get stronger.

“It’s experience,” Green said postgame from the Rockets’ locker room. “We are going up against the best teams in our first couple of games with a lot of rookies and second-year players. We are still young and still growing. It is all experience.”

Green shot 9-of-17 from the field (52.9%) and 3-of-8 on 3-pointers (37.5%), snapping a recent slump in which he had shot 25.7% overall and 22.6% on 3-pointers over Houston’s recent 0-4 road trip.

With the home-and-home series with the Clippers in the books, the Rockets will now head back on the road for another four-game road trip beginning Saturday in Minnesota against the Timberwolves (4-4). Tipoff from Target Center is set for 7:00 p.m. Central.