Rockets reaction: LaMelo Ball outduels Victor Oladipo as Hornets swarm
With veteran guards John Wall and Eric Gordon each resting on the front end of a road back-to-back, the Houston Rockets needed backcourt mate Victor Oladipo to pick up the slack on Monday in Charlotte. In a deflating 119-94 loss (box score), it didn’t quite happen.
Oladipo scored 21 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, but he shot just 7-of-18 from the field (38.9%) — and one of the makes was a 3-pointer in the closing minutes, long after the game had been decided. Meanwhile, Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball had 24 points and 10 assists, including a career-high seven 3-pointers in 12 attempts. The Hornets were +20 in the 32 minutes that Ball played, which easily led all players in the game.
Oladipo entered Monday’s game shooting just 33.3% from the field (25.0% on 3-pointers) over his last three games, and his performance against the Hornets didn’t do much to reverse the recent slump. As usual, he will rest in Tuesday’s second game of the back-to-back, while Wall and Gordon will each make their returns in New Orleans.
Ben McLemore had 15 points off the Houston bench, including 4-of-6 on 3-pointers (66.7%). Meanwhile, forwards Jae’Sean Tate and Danuel House Jr. — who started in place of Wall — each scored 13.
The Hornets hit 19-of-41 from 3-point range (46.3%), while the Rockets shot just 13-of-46 (28.3%). In addition Ball’s seven triples, Gordon Hayward (19 points) and Terry Rozier (15) each had three.
Houston tied the game in the final minute of the third quarter before Charlotte promptly went on a 22-1 run over the next seven-plus minutes to put the game away. Houston scored just seven points in the fourth quarter, tied for the fewest in franchise history.
See below for a compilation of Monday’s highlights and postgame reaction from the Rockets. Tuesday’s game at New Orleans starts at 6:30 p.m. Central, with a national television broadcast on TNT.
Stephen Silas
https://twitter.com/clutchfans/status/1358967205891743746 https://twitter.com/AdamSpolane/status/1358967079513317380 https://twitter.com/AdamSpolane/status/1358971484295876608 https://twitter.com/BenDuBose/status/1358966787900137473 https://twitter.com/BenDuBose/status/1358967271776018435 https://twitter.com/KellyIkoNBA/status/1358967261533470722 https://twitter.com/KellyIkoNBA/status/1358966279126867970 https://twitter.com/AdamSpolane/status/1358969799238418433
Victor Oladipo
https://twitter.com/BenDuBose/status/1358981845417938944 https://twitter.com/ATTSportsNetSW/status/1358976731940605953
Ben McLemore
https://twitter.com/BenDuBose/status/1358979918873378821 https://twitter.com/BenDuBose/status/1358981074601263107 https://twitter.com/ATTSportsNetSW/status/1358984006721654787 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1dQNXlR9PY
