The Houston Rockets will be out to build on their first win of the season when they visit the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.
The Rockets won for the first time in three games on Monday night, 137-109 over the visiting Brooklyn Nets.
“It was stressful the last couple nights, being 0-2, feeling we could have won those two games,” said Kevin Durant, who scored 19 points for Houston on Monday. “But that’s how much we love the game, how much we love winning. And to come in here and get a W, it felt great walking back to the locker room.”
The Raptors would like to find that winning groove after losing their third game in a row Monday night, 121-103 to the host San Antonio Spurs.
After winning their season opener on the road against the Atlanta Hawks, the Raptors dropped their home opener to the Milwaukee Bucks and lost on the road against Dallas and then vs. San Antonio.
The Raptors might have concerns about center Jakob Poeltl’s back issues. He was limited to two points, two rebounds, one assist and one block in 24 minutes against the Spurs.
Poeltl left the game in the fourth quarter with back tightness after shooting 1-for-6 from the field. The back problem cropped up in training camp.
Asked about it after the Monday game, he said: “We’ll see. I just couldn’t find a rhythm; I didn’t feel good out there and didn’t feel good moving.”
RJ Barrett led the Raptors on Monday with 25 points.
Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles bounced back from an 0-for-4 shooting game from the field against Dallas on Sunday by collecting 19 points, three steals and one block as a reserve. He missed the first two games with a forearm injury.
“Obviously, I didn’t have a good game (at Dallas); it was not to my standards,” Murray-Boyles said. “So I was just trying to get back to what I do that I believe can be effective for the team. That was my goal (Monday), and I think I did pretty well.”
For Houston on Monday, reserve Tari Eason led the team with 22 points and Alperen Sengun added 21.
“I just kind of turned myself up a little bit and just knew this is another opportunity,” Eason said.
He finished with a career-best five 3-pointers and scored 20 points in the first half.
“(Eason) is a wild card most nights,” Durant said. “Teams are not going to expect him to come out there and just catch on fire. Obviously, a double-digit scorer, but to get 20 points a game, hit five 3s and still guard at the level that he does, that’s going to take us to another level.”
Houston coach Ime Udoka made a lineup change against Brooklyn, with guard Josh Okogie replacing center Steven Adams in the starting five. Udoka said the idea was to go smaller and be more defensive-oriented with the realignment.
“(Okogie) knows his role,” Udoka said. “He’s keeping it simple. He brings the physicality and aggressiveness on the defensive side of the ball. Knows how to play off other guys and then fits in with the areas we like: Crashing the glass, slashing, making plays, second opportunities.”
Okogie had 10 points and two steals on Monday. As a reserve, Adams had four points and eight rebounds.
