PHOENIX — In a strange scheduling quirk with three games against the same opponent in nine games, the Houston Rockets saw their mental and physical abilities tested by the Suns. There has been constant trash talk from All-Star guard Devin Booker, whose words are almost as verbally abusive as his physical style of play.
Still, the one thing the Suns may not have taken into account is that these aren’t the Rockets of previous years, who may have let Phoenix get away with some of these antics. intimidation on the pitch – meant to get into the heads of opponents. players while throwing them. This new, veteran-led Houston team quickly instilled in the young Rockets a mindset and culture that no one would bully them.
In those three games, Houston went 2-1 against a high-powered offense led by Booker and Kevin Durant, and a Suns team (35-25) that sits sixth in the Western Conference standings. More importantly, Saturday’s victory ended a nine-match away losing streak.
“I like the fight, I like the intensity,” Rockets guard Fred VanVleet said. “We’re a young team, and we have to use that energy to our advantage, and we don’t let ourselves be trapped by anyone, so that’s definitely not going to happen. We are fighting this fight. If things go wrong, it means both teams are playing hard.
The back-and-forth between the two teams began last week in Houston when rookie Cam Whitmore and Booker got into a small skirmish that grew throughout the game when both players took the opportunity to trade words on the ground. A week later, bad blood bubbled in Phoenix when the two got into another heated exchange during Thursday’s fourth quarter.
“I like it,” Booker said of Whitmore’s approach after the second incident. “I’ve been in these situations many times before. I was the same, a young player doing the same thing. I remember doing it to Jimmy Butler my freshman year, he was talking about me after the game. You never want to back down and I respect going after a top player. You just have to be ready for it.
By Saturday, the Suns were back to their intimidation tactics, with veteran guard Bradley Beal appearing to follow his teammates’ lead. But this time, he was quickly ejected after getting into a fight with Houston’s Jalen Green — who was giving the Suns fits en route to a shoving game. second consecutive 34-point explosion.
Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet said after Thursday’s game against the Suns that they won’t back down from anyone…And they won’t do so tonight either…#Serge pic.twitter.com/duD7QsXm5I
– #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) March 3, 2024
One game after Houston suffered its worst shooting performance of the season (33.7% FG) – and after trailing by 16 points in the first quarter – they took control of Saturday’s game early by scoring 38 points in the first quarter. This set the tone for the rest of the evening.
“It was good to see that fight and that physicality,” Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said after the game. “I think we had it all along. It was obviously night and day since the last game, where we started badly. Tonight we kind of jumped on them, and they had to fight their way back. Everything they threw, we took it and made big plays when we had to. I loved our physicality, our aggression and throwing our bodies around.
Houston (26-34) now returns home for a quick back-to-back game against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday and the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday before hitting the road again this weekend.
