Game ID: 22300929
Houston Rockets @ Sacramento Kings
Sunday, March 10, 2024 at 6:00 PM ET
Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
SAC 30 29 14 31 104HOU 23 31 32 26 112
HOU @ SAC ScoutingHOU @ SAC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
SAC availability going into 3/01 · 1 day's restOUT Vezenkov missed 7 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Ellis back 2/28 after 3, 8 min since (48% of 17)
BACK Duarte back 2/14 after 4, 17 min since (141% of 12)
SAC availability going into 3/04 · 2 days' restOUT Fox missed 2 since 2/28, returns tonight: 39 min (108% of 36)
OUT Vezenkov missed 8 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Ellis back 2/28 after 3, 13 min since (78% of 17)
SAC availability going into 3/06 · 1 day's restOUT Vezenkov missed 9 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Fox back 3/04 after 2, 39 min since (108% of 36)
BACK Ellis back 2/28 after 3, 13 min since (78% of 17)
SAC availability going into 3/07 · back-to-backOUT Vezenkov missed 10 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Fox back 3/04 after 2, 39 min since (109% of 36)
BACK Ellis back 2/28 after 3, 14 min since (79% of 17)
SAC availability going into 3/10 · 2 days' restOUT Duarte missed 2 since 3/06, out tonight
OUT Vezenkov missed 11 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Fox back 3/04 after 2, 38 min since (105% of 36)
BACK Ellis back 2/28 after 3, 15 min since (84% of 17)
SAC availability going into 3/12 · 1 day's restOUT Duarte missed 3 since 3/06, returns tonight: 11 min (89% of 12)
OUT Vezenkov missed 12 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Fox back 3/04 after 2, 37 min since (102% of 36)
SAC availability going into 3/13 · back-to-backOUT Vezenkov missed 13 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Fox back 3/04 after 2, 36 min since (100% of 36)
BACK Duarte back 3/12 after 3, 11 min since (89% of 12)
SAC availability going into 3/16 · 2 days' restOUT Vezenkov missed 14 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Duarte back 3/12 after 3, 9 min since (77% of 12)
SAC availability going into 3/18 · 1 day's restOUT Lyles missed 2 since 3/13, out tonight
OUT Vezenkov missed 15 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Duarte back 3/12 after 3, 6 min since (52% of 12)
NEW Ellis 17 to 24 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/02 · 1 day's restBACK VanVleet back 2/22 after 5, 36 min since (98% of 37)
BACK Whitmore back 2/22 after 3, 21 min since (112% of 19)
BACK Tate back 2/27 after 2, 2 min since (16% of 16)
BACK Landale back 2/22 after 2, 6 min since (48% of 14)
HOU availability going into 3/05 · 2 days' restOUT Tate missed 2 since 2/29, out tonight
NEW Smith Jr. 32 to 38 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/06 · back-to-backOUT Tate missed 3 since 2/29, returns tonight: 6 min (36% of 16)
HOU availability going into 3/08 · 1 day's restBACK Tate back 2/27 after 2, 4 min since (26% of 16)
HOU availability going into 3/10 · 1 day's restOUT Je. Green missed 2 since 3/06, returns tonight: 11 min (63% of 17)
BACK Tate back 3/06 after 3, 6 min since (36% of 16)
HOU availability going into 3/12 · 1 day's restOUT Tate missed 2 since 3/08, returns tonight: 13 min (82% of 16)
BACK Je. Green back 3/10 after 2, 11 min since (63% of 17)
HOU availability going into 3/14 · 1 day's restBACK Je. Green back 3/10 after 2, 12 min since (74% of 17)
BACK Tate back 3/06 after 3, 9 min since (59% of 16)
HOU availability going into 3/16 · 1 day's restOUT Whitmore missed 2 since 3/12, out tonight
BACK Je. Green back 3/10 after 2, 13 min since (75% of 17)
BACK Tate back 3/06 after 3, 11 min since (70% of 16)
HOU availability going into 3/19 · 2 days' restOUT Whitmore missed 3 since 3/12, out tonight
BACK Je. Green back 3/10 after 2, 16 min since (95% of 17)
BACK Tate back 3/12 after 2, 13 min since (84% of 16)
NEW Landale 14 to 20 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 120, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 17 free throws a game; Fox at 32 and Monk at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. 2 days' rest. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 110, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 27 and Sengun at 23 a game. Without Je. Green (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Sacramento has been plus-8 a night and Houston plus-1 and the defense, Houston allowing 110 a night to Sacramento's 120. Call it Sacramento 116, Houston 115, Houston keeping it close.
3/01 @ MIN 124-120 — SAC notes
SAC won 124-120 in 1 overtime. SAC shot 50% (50 of 100) to MIN's 49%, 11 of 29 from three, and got to the line 24 times to MIN's 32. SAC turned it over 7 times to MIN's 12. Monk led with 39 (16 of 29, 5 of 8 from three); Sabonis added 21, Murray 17. The hinge was Q1, 30-22: from level to 8 ahead. Murray was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
3/04 vs CHI 109-113 — SAC notes
SAC lost 109-113. SAC took 8 more shots (92 to 84), fed by 20 offensive rebounds, but shot 45% to CHI's 50%, 11 of 37 from three. SAC turned it over 17 times to CHI's 9, and CHI turned those into 9 steals. The glass went 51-32 for them. Fox led with 20 (8 of 16, 2 of 7 from three); Sabonis added 18, Huerter 12. Q1 was theirs, 36-22, but the other 3 periods went 91-73 against them. They led by as many as 22. Monk's -12 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/06 @ LAL 130-120 — SAC notes
SAC won 130-120. SAC shot 56% (54 of 97) to LAL's 52%, 12 of 31 from three, and got to the line 12 times to LAL's 25. The glass went 46-34 for them. Fox led with 44 (19 of 32, 2 of 6 from three); Monk added 26, Sabonis 16. The hinge was Q2, 44-20: SAC came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 15, and the lead reached 22. Monk was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
3/07 vs SAS 131-129 — SAC notes
SAC won 131-129. SAC shot 51% (52 of 102) to SAS's 51%, 10 of 32 from three. Fox led with 33 (14 of 32, 1 of 7 from three); Sabonis added 31, Monk 18. The hinge was Q2, 41-28: SAC came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 12, and the lead reached 20. Ellis was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
3/10 vs HOU 104-112 — SAC notes
SAC lost 104-112. SAC shot 45% (39 of 86) to HOU's 46%, 6 of 32 from three. Sabonis led with 25 (10 of 11, 5 of 6 at the line); Monk added 20, Fox 18. Q1 was theirs, 30-23, but the other 3 periods went 89-74 against them. They led by as many as 13. Barnes's -17 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/12 vs MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 31 from three, 19 free throws a game; Fox at 29 and Monk at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 114, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 34 and Lillard at 28 a game. Without Middleton (14 straight). One day's rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Sacramento has been plus-9 a night and Milwaukee minus-1 and the arc, Milwaukee at 37 percent from three to Sacramento's 31. Call it Sacramento 118, Milwaukee 117, Milwaukee keeping it close.
3/13 vs LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 114, shooting 50 percent and 33 from three, 17 free throws a game; Fox at 29 and Sabonis at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 10 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 118, shooting 52 percent and 45 from three, 22 free throws a game; James at 26 and Russell at 22 a game. Without Vanderbilt (16 straight), Vincent (38 straight), Wood (10 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 45 percent from three to Sacramento's 33 and the glass, where Sacramento has been plus-10 a night and the Lakers plus-0. Call it Sacramento 119, the Lakers 116, the Lakers keeping it close.
3/16 vs NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 112, shooting 52 percent and 37 from three, 16 free throws a game; Fox at 29 and Sabonis at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. 2 days' rest. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 96 a night and allowing 88, shooting 42 percent and 31 from three, 15 free throws a game; Brunson at 28 and DiVincenzo at 15 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Robinson (45 straight). One day's rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the defense, New York allowing 88 a night to Sacramento's 112 and the arc, Sacramento at 37 percent from three to New York's 31. Call it Sacramento 111, New York 108, New York keeping it close.
3/18 vs MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 108, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; Fox at 24 and Sabonis at 23 a game. Without Lyles (2 straight). One day's rest. Memphis comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 110, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Jackson at 24 and Jackson Jr. at 19 a game. Without Williams Jr. (4 straight), Stevens (3 straight), Williams (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Memphis giving it away 16 times a game to Sacramento's 11. Call it Sacramento 115, Memphis 107.
3/02 @ PHX 118-109 — HOU notes
HOU won 118-109. HOU shot 44% (42 of 96) to PHX's 46%, 16 of 42 from three. HOU turned it over 12 times to PHX's 19. Ja. Green led with 34 (12 of 23, 6 of 12 from three); VanVleet added 24, Sengun 21. The hinge was Q1, 38-19: from level to 19 ahead. Brooks was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
3/05 vs SAS 114-101 — HOU notes
HOU won 114-101. HOU shot 47% (49 of 105) to SAS's 44%, 9 of 34 from three. HOU turned it over 5 times to SAS's 18. Sengun led with 45 (19 of 32, 2 of 3 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Ja. Green added 23, VanVleet 21. The hinge was Q4, 34-24: a lead of 3 became 13. HOU trailed 47-53 at the half and won the second half 67-48. VanVleet was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
3/06 vs LAC 116-122 — HOU notes
HOU lost 116-122. HOU took 14 more shots (94 to 80), fed by 13 offensive rebounds, but shot 48% to LAC's 55%, 16 of 37 from three, and got to the line 17 times to LAC's 26. Sengun led with 23 (10 of 19, 3 of 8 at the line); Smith Jr. added 19, Whitmore 17. Q1 was theirs, 27-19, but the other 3 periods went 103-89 against them. They led by as many as 20. Smith Jr.'s -20 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/08 @ POR 123-107 — HOU notes
HOU won 123-107. HOU shot 48% (45 of 94) to POR's 42%, 14 of 37 from three. HOU turned it over 7 times to POR's 17. Green led with 27 (11 of 19, 4 of 9 from three); Sengun added 19, VanVleet 18. The hinge was Q3, 37-24: HOU came in trailing by 8 and left it ahead by 5, and the lead reached 18. HOU trailed 55-63 at the half and won the second half 68-44. Thompson was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
3/10 @ SAC 112-104 — HOU notes
HOU won 112-104. HOU shot 46% (39 of 84) to SAC's 45%, 12 of 29 from three. VanVleet led with 22 (5 of 8, 2 of 4 from three, 10 of 10 at the line); Ja. Green added 19, Sengun 14. The hinge was Q3, 32-14: HOU came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 13, and the lead reached 17. HOU trailed 54-59 at the half and won the second half 58-45. Smith Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
3/12 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 115, shooting 48 percent and 42 from three, 20 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 23 and Vassell at 22 a game. Without Osman (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 109, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Sengun at 24 and Ja. Green at 24 a game. Without Tate (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, San Antonio giving it away 14 times a game to Houston's 9 and the arc, San Antonio at 42 percent from three to Houston's 37. Call it Houston 115, San Antonio 113, San Antonio keeping it close.
3/14 vs WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 107, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 20 free throws a game; Sengun at 25 and Ja. Green at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. Washington comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 21 free throws a game; Kuzma at 26 and Poole at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Bagley III (4 straight), Holmes (2 straight), Champagnie (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been minus-2 a night and Washington minus-9 and the turnovers, Washington giving it away 13 times a game to Houston's 9. Call it Houston 117, Washington 109.
3/16 vs CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 23 and VanVleet at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Whitmore (2 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 110, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; Garland at 24 and Allen at 20 a game. Without Strus (6 straight), Eva. Mobley (5 straight), Wade (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Houston at 39 percent from three to Cleveland's 35. Call it Houston 114, Cleveland 110, Cleveland keeping it close.
3/19 @ WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 122, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; Kuzma at 22 and Avdija at 19 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 15 a night. Without Avdija (2 straight), Jones (2 straight), Bagley III (7 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 25 and VanVleet at 20 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Whitmore (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-2 a night and Washington minus-15 and the defense, Houston allowing 107 a night to Washington's 122. Call it Houston 118, Washington 111.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
HOUAH A. Holiday
AS A. Sengun
AT A. Thompson
CW C. Whitmore
DB D. Brooks
FV F. VanVleet
JG J. Green
JL J. Landale
JS J. Smith Jr.
JG Ja. Green
JG Je. Green
SACAL A. Len
DF D. Fox
DM D. Mitchell
DS D. Sabonis
HB H. Barnes
KE K. Ellis
KH K. Huerter
KM K. Murray
MM M. Monk
TL T. Lyles
HOU/SAC the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Rockets beat Kings 112-104 but lose leading scorer Alperen Sengun to injury
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- — Fred VanVleet scored 22 points, Jalen Green added 19 and Houston beat the Sacramento Kings 112-104 on Sunday after the Rockets lost leading-scorer Alperen Sengun to a right knee and ankle injury.
Sengun landed awkwardly while challenging a shot by the Kings' Domantas Sabonis with under a minute to play in the fourth. Sengun appeared to be in immediate distress and he left the court in a wheelchair after several minutes on the baseline, with his hands covering his face.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka said after the game that Sengun was getting an X-ray and he would “know more shortly.” ESPN reported that Sengun will undergo and MRI on both his right knee and ankle on Monday.
“It doesn’t diminish the win in general,” Udoka said. “I think it was one of our best road wins. He had a huge part in that.”
The 21-year-old Sengun, who had 14 points prior to the injury, is averaging a career-high 21.2 points per game in his third season.
“Injuries are part of the game,” VanVleet said. “We all understand that when we signed up, but it’s always tough to see your teammates go down, especially the young ones who haven’t really been through it before.”
Seven players finished in double figures for the Rockets, who have won four of five as they look to make a push toward a spot in the play-in tournament. Houston is now 4 1/2 games back of the 10th seed in the Western Conference.
Sabonis led the Kings with 25 points and 15 rebounds.
Sacramento cut a 17-point lead down to five late in the fourth quarter, but Houston held off a late push, with Green hitting a three to push the lead to eight with under a minute to play. Green had missed all five of his 3-point attempts prior to taking taht shot.
“I knew I was taking that one, because I missed (a prior attempt),” Green said. “I wanted that one bad.”
The Rockets grabbed control in the third quarter, going on a 13-0 run and taking advantage of five straight turnovers by the Kings to take a 86-73 lead into the fourth. Sengun had eight points in the quarter, and the Kings held the Rockets to just 14 points and four field goals.
De'Aaron Fox had 18 points, but the Kings star was held to 7 of 21 shooting.
“If we make shots, it probably looks like a different game,” Fox said. “I got a lot of opportunities that I usually make and they just didn’t go in.”
Houston swept the Kings this season, also beating Sacramento in consecutive home games in November. The Rockets had dropped four of the last five to the Kings on the road. They have now won three straight on the road, a season-high.
Sacramento dropped to seventh in the West, entering the game tied with Phoenix for the last spot to avoid the play-in tournament. Sabonis said the Rockets were more physical than the Kings.
“That’s what we’re going to see in the playoffs,” Sabonis said. “It’s obviously a good thing to play against a team like that, but we’ve got to learn how to play against those kinds of teams and not just give into it.”
The Rockets trailed by 13 points in the first half, but finished on a 13-5 run to cut the deficit to 59-54 at halftime, with VanVleet making back-to-back 3-pointers.