Durant scored 35 points and 6 assists, and the Rockets won their fourth consecutive victory! Shen Jing 30+13+8, Uduka should consider changing the formation

On November 17, the NBA regular season continues, and the Rockets face the Magic at home. The Rockets' previous record was 8 wins and 3 losses, ranking third in the Western Conference; the Magic's record was 7 wins and 6 losses, ranking ninth in the Eastern Conference. The Rockets went from two consecutive losses at the beginning to eight wins in the last nine games. The team is gradually getting on the right track. In fact, they lost two consecutive games at the beginning, and they only narrowly lost to the Thunder and Pistons, the first in the East and West. Through these more than 10 games, the team has demonstrated strong competitiveness, ranking first in the league in scoring at 125.5 points per game, ranking sixth in the league in points allowed per game at 113.3, and with a net efficiency rating of +12.3 per 100 possessions, second only to the Thunder and Nuggets. Compared with other veterans (Harden and Curry), although Durant has been targeted by defense this season, his average output of 25 points per game is much easier.

However, as the season progresses, the Rockets also fall into a personnel crisis. Van Jordan is out for the season, and Finney Smith will not be able to return to the team until the end of November due to an ankle injury at the earliest; Ethan suffered a left hip contusion in the last game against the Trail Blazers and is expected to be sidelined for 4-6 weeks; thus, the Rockets will not have many available players on the front line. The US media suggested that Udoka should activate Tate to avoid excessive consumption of Durant. The Magic's performance this season is worse than expected. Although the team's defensive efficiency is still online, the addition of Bane and Tyus Jones has not improved the offensive end. Both the points per game and offensive efficiency are at the 20th level in the league. When the Big Three of Banqueiro + Bain + Wagner Jr. were on the court at the same time, the team only beat their opponents by 1.0 points per 100 rounds.

Benqueiro and Suggs were both absent from this game due to groin injuries, and Wagner also did not play. Looking back at the game, Shenjing Golden Rooster made an independent jumper at the beginning. Carter Jr. and Xiaova blossomed inside and outside. Shenjing stormed + Xiaojia's jumper to bite the score. In the middle, Bain and Silva continued fast breaks and cooperated with Xiaova's three-pointer to widen the point difference. After Durant scored, Carter Jr. hit another three-pointer. In the second half, Wagner and Silva started raining three-pointers. The Magic opened up a 14-point gap! Durant stood up at the critical moment, and then led Shepard and Holiday to stop the bleeding. The Rockets 23-30 the Magic in the first quarter. Entering the second quarter, Sheppard's three-pointers and jumpers continued to chase points. Isaac and Bain stepped up to respond. Holiday felt good and cooperated with Sheppard to seize the score.

Every time the Rockets caught up with only 2-3 points, they were pulled away again. Silva scored 7 points in a row, plus Bane made a kill. At the end of the quarter, Bane hit another three-pointer. At the end of the half, the Rockets 46-55 Magic. Amen had no presence in the first half, and the Rockets' offense relied entirely on Sheppard and Durant. Back in the second half, Durant teamed up with Shen Jing to chase points, and Xiao Jia's three-pointer stopped the Magic. Wagner Jr.'s dunks stabilized the rhythm, and Durant continued to shoot jumpers. The two sides fell into a tug-of-war in the second half. At the end of the three quarters, the Rockets 77-80 Magic. In the fourth quarter of the decisive battle, Shepard made an emergency stop for a jump shot, but then received a first-level foul for tripping Bane! Bain led the team to widen the 11-point gap. Shen Jing continued to attack with dunks to stop the bleeding, and then teamed up with Durant to chase the point with free throws.

In the last 5 minutes, Amen hit a jumper. After that, Jia hit a key three-pointer. Durant added a three-pointer to stop the Magic! Bain's tip-in + free throw continued to score points, and Shen Jing's hook + Durant's three-pointer responded. Bane was blocked for a layup, and the Rockets got the ball back for the last attack. Durant fell, and Magic Black grabbed the ball and counterattacked for a dunk. He missed the extra free throw and gave the Rockets a chance to win. Shen Jing scored with a hook in the last second, and the score was tied at 102 in overtime. In the first three minutes of overtime, it was still difficult to separate. Shen Jing succeeded in scoring a 3-pointer, and Blake responded by training Shen Jing. In the last minute, Amen missed a dunk. After Jia blocked Silva, Durant made a bloody jumper! Sheppard's free throw didn't give his opponent a chance, and Amen's free throw sealed the victory. In the end, the Rockets defeated the Magic 117-113 and ushered in their 4th consecutive victory.

Magic data, Bain had 26 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, Silva had 13 points and 6 rebounds, Wagner Jr. had 29 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, Carter Jr. had 15 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks, and Blake had 18 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Rockets data, Durant had 35 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 turnovers, Shen Jing had 30 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists, Amen had 12 points and 10 rebounds, Xiaojia had 10 points and 10 rebounds, Shepard had 16 points and 7 rebounds, Holiday had 10 points, and Adams had 3 points and 12 rebounds. At least 4 Rockets players have more than 10 rebounds, the first time in team history in the past 24 years!

A tough game! Durant may not have a three-point touch in the first three quarters, and may fall and make a mistake at the end of regular time, but at the critical moment, the ball still has to be handed over to him. Amen's performance in this game was a bit confusing. At the last moment, Adu signaled to pull away. He also wanted to do a pick-and-roll, and the cooperation was not tacit. The Rockets' offensive fundamentals in this game were not good. Although Shen Jing also scored 30+, he took 31 shots and 10 free throws, which was not very efficient. But this kind of game can train young people and show Durant's dominance at critical moments. It's just that after playing 45 minutes in one game, Durant was also very tired. Uduka should consider activating veterans such as Tate and Jeff Green to share the forward pressure.