With injuries quickly piling up, the Houston Rockets didn’t have three of their expected starters (Christian Wood, Kevin Porter Jr., and Jalen Green) for most of Wednesday’s game at Oklahoma City. But the young and improving squad somehow found a way to win, anyway.
The biggest reason, of course, was second-year forward Jae’Sean Tate. The physical left-hander finished with 32 points (11-of-15 shooting, 73.3%), 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 blocked shots, including a dynamic performance in the fourth quarter as Houston scored 41 points and rallied back from a double-digit deficit with under 8:00 left.
“Honestly, tonight we just showed fight,” Tate said postgame. “It was one of those nights I had it going. My teammates and coach kept giving me the ball in my spots. And just our will and our fight to fight back. We needed that. Our first road win, and it wasn’t an easy one.”
So, how rare was Tate’s line? He joins Hall of Famer and all-time Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players in franchise history to ever have 30+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists, and 5+ blocks in a single game. Best of all, it led Houston (5-16) to a historic win, since the Rockets are now the first team in NBA history to ever win four straight games immediately after a losing streak of at least 15 games.
Tate and the suddenly surging Rockets will look to keep the winning streak and positive vibes going when Orlando visits Houston’s Toyota Center on Friday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Central.
Jae'Sean Tate (32 PTS, 10 REB, 7 AST, 5 BLK) joins Hakeem Olajuwon as the only @HoustonRockets players to record 30+ points 10+ rebounds 5+ assists and 5+ blocks in a game. pic.twitter.com/mHtot3jqt6
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) December 2, 2021
Tate could not be stopped! 😤
🚀 32PTS 10REB 5BLK pic.twitter.com/10481ksWsw
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) December 2, 2021
