Determined Rockets aim to continue ascent vs. Wizards

Despite laboring through another offensive slog on Sunday in Detroit, the Houston Rockets again uncovered a path to success, utilizing dogged determination to serve as their guide once more.

The Rockets eked out a 101-99 victory over the Pistons for their third win in the last four games. Houston, which will host the Washington Wizards on Monday night, beat Detroit while shooting just 40.9 percent from the field and missing 27 of 34 attempts from 3-point range.

What the Rockets did well on Sunday was lean into their early-season profile by securing 17 offensive rebounds while recording a modest 11 turnovers.

According to NBA.com, the Rockets exited the win over Detroit second in the league in offensive rebounding rate (35.9 percent) and fifth in turnover rate (12.5 percent). Their effectiveness in those two categories has offset woeful shooting, with only Portland and Utah posting effective field-goal percentages worse than the Rockets' 49.6 percent.

Rebounding saved the Rockets against the Pistons. Alperen Sengun grabbed 10 rebounds while Tari Eason secured nine in 27 minutes off the bench. Starters Fred VanVleet and forward Jabari Smith Jr. shot a combined 5 for 21, including 1 for 11 on 3-pointers, but totaled 14 rebounds.

The Rockets employ the offensive talent to turn things around on that end of the court, but their offensive rebounding and ball security should continue to serve as assets.

"That was a point of emphasis all year," Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. "We got nine more shots because of that and took care of the ball. As I always say, you can rely on your defense when the shots aren't falling, so on the nights when they both click, you have a comfortable win. The nights where they're not, you can still dig it out and figure out a way to get it done."

The Wizards surrendered a pair of 30-point quarters in the second half of their 121-94 road loss to the Orlando Magic on Sunday, their fourth consecutive defeat, with three of those losses coming by at least 20 points. Washington again was without its second-leading scorer and rebounder, Kyle Kuzma (17 points, 7.7 rebounds), and his absence continues to be felt.

Washington posted a minus-seven rebounding margin and allowed 15 offensive boards that Orlando converted into 22 points. The Wizards' ineffective performance on the glass was a shared responsibility, but 7-foot rookie Alex Sarr corraling only three rebounds in 24 minutes proved noteworthy.

Sarr blocked two shots on Sunday after entering play averaging 2.6 per game, which ranked fourth in the NBA. If Sarr is to excel as a rim-protector, he'll need his teammates to cover for him on the glass when he rotates out of position and fills the role as a help defender.

"I think Alex is growing and learning every game," Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. "We're seeing things that he's never seen before.

"I thought Alex came out and established a good presence at the rim early. We've got to keep helping him when he goes to shot-block and help him on the boards."

--Field Level Media