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Tonight’s Rockets win over the the 5th place Toronto Raptors was just the thing for a Rockets team that was soundly thrashed by the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.

Almost everything a Rockets fan might want was there tonight. We saw a defense that held the Raptors to 18 points below their season scoring average, and also below 100 points. The offense managed to just about reach NBA scoring average, which is a rare accomplishment lately against teams with an above .500 record. The team shot it well, and only Amen played a high number of minutes before tomorrow night’s contest against the Nuggets in Denver.

Things didn’t start all that well, with the Rockets turning the ball over a bunch in the first quarter. What might have been a great defensive showing, at, say, 24 points for the Raptors, was marred by the Rockets allowing 8 Raptor points off turnovers in the period. Fortunately, Toronto couldn’t hold the Rockets down with their own defense, as the Rockets put up an equal 29 points in the first.

The Rockets continued their league average scoring trend in the 2nd quarter, putting up 29 points once again, while holding the Raptors to only 20 points. The key to this wasn’t just making shots, it was cutting the live ball turnovers that plagued the Rockets in the first quarter. There was only one liveball Rockets turnover in the 2nd, by Reed Sheppard, but he immediately atoned by chasing down Jamal Shead for a block. The huge difference in scoring quarter to quarter gives some credence to the turnover theory.

The Raptors made it close in the third quarter, putting up 34 points, much of it from very good shooting from RJ Barrett, defending the honor of Canada, and Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes playing well. also, but in a less Canadian way. The Toronto surge in the third wasn’t turnover driven, they just played better offense and defense than the Rockets, and shot a goodly number of free throws.

The Rockets entered the fourth leading 86-83, but would go on to score 20 of the next 26 points. The Rockets went on to expand that lead to 111-93 with around three minutes remaining, when Toronto waved the red and white flag and pulled their starters. Garbage time was Dick’s moment to shine, but his outburst came too little, too late.

There’s not much to criticize from the Rockets perspective after the somewhat sloppy first quarter. KD lead the way with 29pts on a pristine 12-16FG and 4-5 from three. He filled the stat sheet as well, with 8 rebounds, 2ast, 2stl, 2blk against 2to. He played a low 33 minutes, so hopefully he’ll look as good tomorrow night. Alpie, after an initial rough start, pulled things together for 14pts, 12rbs, 4ast. He still doesn’t look right to me, but perhaps this is as right as he’s going to get, as Clint Capela, no matter how effective, seems locked in at about 14 minutes. One might think 10 rebounds in 13 minutes might earn more playing time, but that feels impossible.

The best Rockets tonight, along with Durant, were Jabari Smith Jr, and Amen Thompson. Jabari looked better, quicker, and more decisive that he has in some time. There weren’t a lot of Dribblin’ Adventures, and he once again seemed to realize, as he does occasionally, that he can just shoot over nearly anyone. Watching Kevin Durant do this all the time must be encouraging at some level. Jaswishy scored 23 on 8-14 shooting, 3-7 from three, and added 4rbs, 2ast, and 2stl. He only recorded one turnover, and that was mostly bad luck.

Amen had a very good game, being both larger, faster, or both, than almost anyone Toronto could throw at him. He attacked the rim almost constantly, and didn’t avoid contact to try to make a tougher shot, as he often does. Thompson had 23 efficient points on 6-10 shooting, and 10-14 on FTs. He added four boards, 6 assists to 3 turnovers, and notched a block. He played 39 minutes, though, and that’s a worry heading to altitude tomorrow night. Amen also made his weekly 3pt shot on one attempt. Perhaps this will all mark the beginning of a more forceful, impactful, offensive trend for Amen.

Of others getting significant minutes, Dorian Finney-Smith played 21 minutes and looked pretty good. He didn’t fill up the box score, but he looked useful, and not lost. His minutes were strongly positive, and that’s a refreshing change. If Finney-Smith has turned a corner, that would be excellent news for the Rockets.

Reed Sheppard had one of his least impactful games in a while. going 2-10, with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, against 4 turnovers. Hopefully he’s past the point where he disappears after a bad game, because the Rockets need his offense, especially, even if they didn’t need it tonight. The topper was Brandon Ingram doing his thing, but managing to only go 3-12, with few free throws. He pulled the Raptors down with a team leading -18. Even Scottie Foster wasn’t horrible tonight.

We can hope we’ll see the Rockets play this way going forward – good defense, coupled by (hopefully!) some emerging offensive organization, and perhaps, resultant good shooting. A more aggressive and effective combo of Jaswishy and Amen racking up free throws on dangerous rim attacks, changes the Rockets outlook considerably.

It was a good night “For The H”, with “The H” being Houston, not Hater.

On the Jovan Buha podcast, Eric Pincus revealed the Utah Jazz had shopped Walker Kessler. You can listen to the time-stamped segment below

Pincus, discussing potential offseason targets for the Lakers, talked about Walker Kessler who is coming off an injury. He says that he heard that the Jazz…

“had shopped him a little bit more around the deadline than what they had done before. I had heard the Clippers had a shot to get him in the Zubac trade instead of Matherin. So, those are just rumors, I’m not saying that’s fact…”

As Pincus says, this is just rumors. Maybe this happened, maybe it didn’t, but it’s very interesting if this is true. Will the Jazz look at a sign-and-trade possibility? We know that the Jazz are interested in Austin Reaves. We also know that Utah wasn’t interested in overpaying Walker Kessler. The Lakers, on the other hand, have been interested in Kessler for years, they just haven’t been willing to give the Jazz what they’ve been asking. Knowing that the Jazz weren’t interested in giving Kessler a huge contract, would they be willing to make some sort of move for Kessler? The Lakers have had a terrible season with DeAndre Ayton and have not been able to find a starting center for a long time. Kessler, being an elite rim protector and rim-runner, is the perfect complement to Luka Doncic.

Utah has signaled they’re interested in winning next season. It makes you wonder if the Jazz lose in the lottery, are they going to make some sort of win-now move with their pick? Is there something there that can get them Austin Reaves for Walker Kessler? It certainly seems like the Utah Jazz are going to be active this offseason, and it might just involve a trade with the Lakers.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Shay Maloney scored 41 seconds into overtime and the Boston Fleet edged the Vancouver Goldeneyes 2-1 on Tuesday night.

Much of the game was a goalie duel, with neither side scoring until the third period.

Haley Winn was first to strike, getting the Fleet on the board early in the final frame with her second goal of the year.

Hannah Miller responded for the Goldeneyes with 3:26 remaining, blasting a one-timer past Boston goalie Aerin Frankel from just inside the blue line.

Frankel stopped 25 of the 26 shots she faced, and the Fleet won its sixth straight game.

Kristen Campbell made 25 saves in the Vancouver net.

The win moved the Fleet back into sole possession of first place in the league standings, two points ahead of the Montreal Victoire.

Vancouver was without goalie Emerance Maschmeyer, who is listed as day to day with an upper-body injury. Kimberly Newell served as Campbell’s backup.

Up next

Fleet: Visit Seattle on Wednesday.

Goldeneyes: Host Ottawa on Saturday.

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AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

SAN FRANCISCO — One day was all it took for the Warriors to top their worst loss of the season.

After failing to pull out a win while the Jazz rested their best players in crunch time on Monday, the Warriors returned home Tuesday and once again proved incapable of beating a tanking team.

The Warriors were at the foul line with the lead in the final moments of regulation but still couldn’t finish off a 130-124 overtime loss to the lowly Bulls, who outscored them in 12-6 in the extra period.

“We just couldn’t close it out,” coach Steve Kerr said. “They were the better team in OT.”

Gui Santos, Kristaps Porzingis, LJ Cryer and Pat Spencer all scored 17 points to lead the Warriors, but Golden State had no answer for Matas Buzelis, who finished with 41 points on 16-of-28 shooting. Josh Giddey added 21 points, 17 assists and 13 rebounds for a triple-double.

Back-to-back losses to the Bulls and Jazz amounted to a serious case of whiplash after strong efforts from Golden State to beat the Rockets and threaten the Thunder on the road last week.

“Both very winnable games,” Kerr said. “Had the lead late tonight. Obviously one we should’ve had. But this is how the NBA is, especially when you’re beaten up. Games are going to be tight. You’ve got to finish. And we haven’t finished either of the past two nights.”

What it means

Kerr has been on the cusp of 600 wins since the Warriors beat the Rockets in Houston last week. He hasn’t been able to break through against two tanking teams.

Even with the beleaguered state of their roster, the Warriors’ past two losses will go down as two of their worst of the season. Two of the easiest games left on Golden State’s schedule just happened to line up as their only stretch this season with a home-road back-to-back.

No wonder the Warriors looked out of gas for most of the night.

The loss dropped Golden State below .500 for the first time since it was 14-15 on Dec. 20.

The Warriors (32-33) now sit a half game behind the Clippers (32-32), ninth in the Western Conference.

Turning point

Once again, the Warriors lost the game at the foul line.

After two dreadful performances from the stripe, the Warriors shot it far better against the Bulls, converting 16-of-18 attempts in regulation. But holding a 117-116 lead with 8 seconds left, LJ Cryer was only able to convert one of his two free throws.

“You make the free throw, probably a different outcome of the game,” said Cryer, who tied with Spencer for a team-best plus-18 off the bench.

On the other end, Draymond Green fouled Jalen Smith on a desperation attempt that sent him to the line with 1.4 seconds left. Smith sank both of his free throws to send the game to overtime.

“He got his hand on his body,” Kerr said. “It was a foul. I’m sure he’d like to have that one back. He just got his hand in the wrong spot.”

Playing their second game in two nights in as many cities, the Warriors were sluggish from the outset and the crowd inside Chase Center reciprocated with an atmosphere to match. But the lower bowl rose to its feet as Golden State erased a 13-point deficit.

When the Bulls forced overtime, fans streamed for the exits. They apparently already knew how this one was going to end.

MVP: Gary Payton II

The 6-foot-2 Payton was a constant presence around the basket and finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. The 11 rebounds led the Warriors, including a team-best three on the offensive glass, all of which Payton cleaned up for putback dunks.

Stat of the game: Zero

That is the number of minutes De’Anthony Melton played against the Bulls, despite the Warriors limiting his action Monday at Utah with the intent of him playing in the back-to-back.

Likewise, the Warriors sat both Porzingis and Al Horford against the Jazz so that both could play Tuesday against the Bulls. It’s no sure thing that either game hinged on the three players’ availability, but in the end, both ended in stinging losses.

Kerr said afterward that Melton tweaked his hamstring/groin late against the Jazz and had it act up overnight, preventing him from playing against Chicago.

Before the game, Kerr said he was hopeful Melton could establish that he was up to the task.

“We need him,” he said. “He’s obviously one of our best players.”

Up next

The Warriors host Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves on Friday in their last home game until March 25. They hit the road for five games, including two more sets of back-to-backs, beginning Sunday against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

The most important date for the Warriors this week, however, is Wednesday. That is when Steph Curry (knee), who missed his 15th straight game, is set to be re-evaluated.

According to Eric Pincus, the Utah Jazz are interested in Austin Reaves.

In this episode of the Jovan Buha podcast, you can listen to it. Pincus says:

“I’ve heard that the Utah Jazz like Austin Reaves. I don’t think that’s a shock, but I’ve heard that that’s one of the teams that’s interested in Austin Reaves,”

There have been rumblings here and there about this, but it’s the first time we’ve seen someone plugged in talk about it. If the Jazz are interested in Reaves, that probably means some sort of sign-and-trade. Utah will be over the cap, and even if they don’t sign many of their expiring deals, they’ll be adding Walker Kessler to their books alongside Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen. On top of that, we’re not far away from Keyonte George also being up for a contract, and you can bet he’s going to be earning a big payday as well. The question from this is, who do the Jazz trade to the Lakers if they want Austin Reaves? Is there a sign-and-trade possibility with Kessler now that Utah has Jaren Jackson?

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Devin Carter scored 22 of his career-best 24 points in the fourth quarter to power the Sacramento Kings to a 114-109 comeback win over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night.

Carter scored 13 straight points down the stretch for Sacramento, who trailed by as many as 20 points and were down by 10 heading into the final frame.

The Kings shot 46% from the field and 35% from deep, while the Pacers shot 41% and 30% respectively. Carter was 9 of 13 from the field and 3 for 4 from beyond the arc.

Maxime Raynaud's and-1 jumper with 16 seconds remaining finished off the win.

Raynaud had an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double, the 15th of the season for the 7-foot-1 rookie. Russell Westbrook added 16 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, and DeMar DeRozan and Nique Clifford each scored 12 points.

Indiana led 59-42 at the half, but Sacramento took their first lead since the first quarter on Carter's 3-pointer with 4:16 remaining in regulation.

Aaron Nesmith led all scorers with 29 points, 24 of them in the first half. Obi Toppin scored 17 points and grabbed five rebounds, and Kam Jones had 14 points and nine assists.

Indiana extended its NBA-long losing streak to 10 games, and the game matched teams with the NBA’s two worst records.

Pascal Siakam (right knee sprain) and Andrew Nembhard (back and neck soreness) did not play. They are the Pacers' first and third-leading scorers, respectively.

The Kings had dropped their last three meetings against Indiana, including a 116-105 defeat on Dec. 8 in Indianapolis.

Up next

Pacers: Host Phoenix on Thursday night.

Kings: Host Charlotte on Wednesday night. ___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Brandon Miller had 21 points and eight rebounds, LaMelo Ball had 12 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter and the Charlotte Hornets overcame a 19-point deficit to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 103-101 on Tuesday night.

Kon Knueppel added 15 points and five rebounds for the Hornets, who got back to .500 at 33-33. Ryan Kalkbrenner added 13 points and six rebounds off the bench.

The Hornets trailed 43-24 in the second quarter but edged ahead late by holding the Trail Blazers to 19 points in the fourth quarter.

Jerami Grant scored 24 points on 7-of-10 shooting for Portland. Deni Avdija had 22 points and Scoot Henderson scored 14 off the bench. Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan each had 11 points.

Portland controlled the first half and led Charlotte by nine going into halftime before a cold-shooting stretch and a series of late-game miscues.

Up next

Hornets: Visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.

Trail Blazers: Host the Utah Jazz on Friday.

For three quarters Tuesday night, the San Antonio Spurs and the Boston Celtics looked like two teams unwilling to blink. Every Spurs run was answered. Every Boston basket seemed to come with a response. The crowd inside Frost Bank Center stayed on edge, sensing the game could tilt either way.

Then Victor Wembanyama tilted it.

The Spurs’ young superstar caught fire from beyond the arc and, when the game tightened in the fourth quarter, San Antonio delivered the final surge to secure a 125-116 win over the Celtics. It was the kind of performance that reminded everyone why Wembanyama is quickly becoming one of the most electrifying players in the NBA.

The night began with both teams trading baskets in a fast-paced opening quarter. Boston leaned on former Spur Derrick White, who quickly found his rhythm and kept the Celtics within striking distance. Meanwhile, San Antonio’s offense flowed through Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox, who pushed the tempo and created opportunities for his teammates.

Neither side gained much separation. By halftime, the scoreboard reflected the back-and-forth nature of the game as the team’s went to the locker room even at 58 apiece. Boston’s perimeter shooting kept the pressure on, while the Spurs countered with crisp ball movement and timely shooting from Devin Vassell and the supporting cast.

The tension only grew in the third quarter.

White began to heat up for Boston, knocking down difficult shots and attacking the lane. But every time the Celtics appeared ready to take control, Wembanyama answered. The 7-foot-4 phenom drilled three-pointers with ease, stretching Boston’s defense farther and farther away from the rim.

Still, the game remained tight entering the final period. That’s when the Spurs made their move.

With the Celtics clinging within a possession early in the fourth quarter, San Antonio strung together the run that changed everything. Vassell knocked down a key three. Fox sliced into the lane for a layup. Wembanyama followed with another deep shot that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Suddenly, a close game had become a Spurs advantage that Boston couldn’t erase. The Celtics fought back behind White’s scoring, but San Antonio’s offense never cooled. Fox continued orchestrating the attack, Wembanyama kept stretching the defense, and the Spurs calmly knocked down free throws down the stretch.

By the final minutes, the outcome was no longer in doubt.

When the buzzer sounded, the Spurs walked away with a huge victory, another impressive win during what has become one of the team’s hottest stretches of the season.

And once again, it was Wembanyama at the center of it all, putting on a performance that felt as spectacular as it was decisive.

Game Notes

• It is still so amazing to see Jason Tatum back on the court playing good basketball after that devastating Achilles tear last season in the NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks. So happy to see him back. Tatum had his best scoring night since returning with 24 points on Tuesday night.
• Despite Jaylen Brown’s ejection, the Spurs got a huge win against a championship contender. Boston joins Detroit, Oklahoma City, and Denver among the league’s top teams that have been beat by San Antonio this season.
• Julian Champagnie is human after all, he had a poor shooting night and did not score, but his teammates came through in the clutch.
• The Spurs big three of De’Aaron Fox, Victor Wembanyama, and Stephon Castle combined for 82 of Spurs’ 125 points. Wemby led the way with 39 points and tied his career-high of eight three-pointers. Fox added 25 points, and Castle chipped in 18. If this is the version of the Spurs big three we’re going to get come playoff time, the entire NBA may be in trouble.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Brooke Carlson scored 17 points, Madelyn Bragg added 15 and Colorado State pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Air Force 56-42 on Tuesday night for the Rams' first Mountain West Conference championship since 2016.

No. 3 seed Colorado State (27-7) took a 34-32 advantage into the final period and outscored Air Force 22-10. Carlson scored eight points, and Bragg and Kloe Froebe added five apiece in the fourth quarter.

Carlson shot just 4 of 15 from the floor but made 9 of 12 free throws. Bragg made 7 of 8 field goals. Froebe finished with nine points and 10 rebounds.

Milahnie Perry scored 14 points for No. 9 seed Air Force (16-18). Emily Adams added 12 points and Alexis Cortez chipped in with 11 points and nine rebounds.

The Rams shot 4 of 8 from the floor and made 14 of 18 free throws in the fourth quarter while the Falcons were 3-of-17 shooting overall.

The No. 9 seed Falcons entered as the lowest-seeded program to earn a spot in the title game. Air Force beat No. 8 seed Wyoming, top-seeded San Diego State and No. 5 seed Boise State.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Anthony Roy scored 24 points, Christian Coleman had 17 points and 14 rebounds, and No. 14 seed Oklahoma State held on down the stretch for a 92-83 victory over No. 11 seed Colorado in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament on Tuesday night.

Jaylen Curry added 15 points for the Cowboys (19-13), who probably need to keep winning to make the NCAA Tournament field next week. Their next chance is Wednesday night against sixth-seeded TCU for a spot in the Big 12 quarterfinals.

Bangot Dak had 22 points and eight rebounds to lead Colorado (17-15), whose own NCAA hopes almost certainly vanished. Barrington Hargress added 18 points and nine assists, Isaiah Johnson had 14 points and Ian Inman finished with 11.

Colorado mostly controlled its game against Oklahoma State when the teams met earlier this season in Boulder.

The Cowboys mostly flipped that script in the Big 12 Tournament.

The Buffaloes had to make a couple of late buckets to get within 41-40 at halftime, and then had to keep fighting back from deficits throughout the second half. But every time Elijah Malone would bully his way for a bucket, or Johnson scored with a runner for the Buffs, Roy or Curry was there to answer with timely baskets for Oklahoma State.

The game was still tight until Vyctorius Miller made five consecutive free throws with about 6 minutes left. That turned a 68-62 lead into a 73-62 advantage, and allowed Oklahoma State to stay away from the Buffaloes the rest of the way.

Up next

Colorado: The Buffaloes wait to hear where they will be playing in the postseason.

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys face No. 6 seed TCU in a Wednesday quarterfinal. They lost both of their games to TCU in the regular season, including a 95-92 overtime thriller.

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