In the closing moments of a fourth-quarter collapse on Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Houston Rockets faced a crucial decision on who should take the final shot with the game on the line.
Throughout the season, the Rockets have distributed their offensive responsibilities among Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, and Fred VanVleet. However, after squandering a 16-point lead with less than five minutes to play, they opted to run their final play through Sengun, who had scored a season-high 38 points on 64 percent shooting (16 of 25) from the field.
Sengun’s attempt to make a play failed when he couldn’t get off a shot, and his hurried pass to VanVleet resulted in a missed perimeter shot, leading to a 113-112 defeat and ending the Rockets’ four-game winning streak. This loss marked the beginning of a five-game homestand, which continues Sunday night against the Miami Heat.
With Green, Sengun, and VanVleet averaging between 19.3 and 15.3 points and 16.3 and 14.1 shots per game, the Rockets often try to utilize their offensive balance. Sengun’s strong performance against the Timberwolves justified his role in the crucial moment, and moving forward, Houston will continue to rely on their multiple scoring options in late-game situations, primarily focusing on the player with the hot hand.
The Heat, meanwhile, struggled with a nine-point third-quarter deficit that they couldn’t overcome in their 120-110 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. The first half of the game saw nine lead changes, demonstrating a closely contested battle.
Tyler Herro (28 points, 10 assists) and Bam Adebayo (17 points, 10 rebounds) recorded double-doubles for the Heat, who were without forward Jimmy Butler for the fourth consecutive game due to “return to competition reconditioning.” Butler hasn’t played since December 20, when he appeared to injure his ankle in the first quarter of a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was subsequently ruled out due to illness.
Without Butler, the Heat face challenges with their late-game offensive options. Herro, averaging 23.9 points per game, and Adebayo (16.3) are both capable of leading the team down the stretch, but Butler (18.5) provides an additional option as both a primary scorer and facilitator. His absence impacts how the Heat execute offensively in tight, late-game situations.
