Rockets' 25 turnovers costly in 108-88 loss to Knicks

POSTED: January 1, 2023 -- 11:17 a.m. CT

HOUSTON, TX (Toyota Center) -- The Houston Rockets limited the New York Knicks to 38.9 fg% Saturday night but still managed to lose by 20 points. The Rockets shot a season-low 37.7 fg%. The Knicks capitalized on 25 Rockets' turnovers and scored 37 points off the turnovers to help defeat the Rockets 108-88 on New Year's Eve.

"Tonight's game was all about the turnovers," Stephen Silas, Rockets Head Coach said after the game. "You can't win any NBA game turning the ball over 25 times."

Jalen Green and the Rockets shined bright in the first quarter. Green scored 10 of the Rockets' 35 points. The Rockets led the Knicks 35-27 after 12 minutes. Houston had 4 turnovers in the quarter.

In the second quarter, the Rockets committed 8 turnovers and shot a frigid 27.3% (6 for 22 from the floor). The Knicks outscored the Rockets 26-14 in the second period and led 53-49 at halftime.

The Knicks scored 15 points off 12 Rockets' first-half turnovers.

Houston (10-26) committed 8 more turnovers in the third quarter for a total of 20 turnovers in just 3 periods. The Knicks scored 11 of their 29 third quarter points off Rockets' turnovers.

New York led 82-70 after 3 quarters.

Houston shot a dismal 21.1% (4 for 19) in the fourth quarter and added 5 more turnovers to limp to the 20 point defeat.

"We could talk about every other thing, to me, it's the turnovers."

Houston has lost six in a row at home after winning five straight at Toyota Center.

Kevin Porter Jr. led the Rockets with 23 points. Scoot also had 10 rebounds and 8 assists, marking his sixth double-double of the season and his third point/rebound. Over the past four games, he is averaging 24.5 ppg, 8.3 apg and 6.5 rpg while shooting 51.6% from the floor and 48.5% from 3-point range.

KPJ and Jalen Green both had 5 turnovers. Eric Gordon committed 4 turnovers.

"We want to be fast," KPJ said in the locker room after the game. "But, we have to have the ball in our hands and a lot of times we're trying to go before we had it. We were trying to catch and go and not fully having it in our hands and some of them slipped out like that.

Scoot added, "It's hard to win with 25 turnovers as a team."

Knicks' forward Julius Randle scored a game-high 35 points and added 12 rebounds and 6 assists while hitting 5 3-pointers.

Knicks' guard Immanuel Quickley made his fourth start of the season and had 27 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals while hitting 4 3-pointers.

NEXT:

The Rockets face Luka and the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, January 2. Tip is set for 7 p.m. Central Time.

NOTES:

Rockets' center Alperen Sengun missed the game due to low back pain.

Eric Gordon had 12 points while shooting 2 for 4 from 3-point range. The two three-point field goals made per game gave him exactly 18,000 for his career, making him the 24th player in NBA history to reach that mark. Gordon has hit 1,023 three-point field goals made per game as a Rocket, which is second only to James Harden's 2,029.

Rockets' rookie forward Tari Eason had 9 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, including 5 offensive, and 3 steals, off the bench. Eason is averaging 8.7 rebounds per game over the past three games after averaging 3.0 rebounds per game the four games prior. Eason is the first rookie reserve to have at least 13 total rebounds, including 5 offensive, with 3 steals in a game since New York's Mitchell Robinson (14/8/3) did so vs. Orlando on February 26, 2019.

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