Rockets on victorious season finale: 'Closing out with a W!'

Year No. 3 of the rebuild the Houston Rockets embarked upon after the departure of James Harden ended with a 114-109 road victory over the Washington Wizards on Sunday. 

“Closing out with a W!” the Rockets proclaimed in a postgame tweet. 

The Associated Press (AP) reported that forward Jabari Smith, Jr. capped his first year in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with a 20-point afternoon to help push Houston’s winning streak to three games.

According to the AP, the Rockets, who completed the 2022-2023 campaign with a 22-60 mark, rallied to defeat their hosts. 

Houston began the contest making its first five shots, but was soon behind as much as 16 points before turning the heat up defensively, the AP reported.

Sixteen points from another rookie, forward Tari Eason, and a 12-0 run late in the game lifted the Rockets over Washington.

The Rockets’ season-ending string of wins began on Tuesday when the team upset the Western Conference best Denver Nuggets 124-103 in the final home game, Houston Daily reported. 

The statement victory was followed by a 112-109 nailbiter in Charlotte at the expense of the Hornets, and ultimately, the win in the national’s capital, which the Rockets pulled off without guard Kevin Porter, Jr. 

Finishing two games better than last year, the Rockets enter another summer with hopes of getting the last ping pong ball – the No. 1 pick in the form of French star Victor Wembanyama – in May’s NBA Draft Lottery.

When Houston makes a pick as one of the first three teams in the June draft – something it has grown accustomed to since the offseason preceding the 2021-2022 campaign – it’s likely there will be a new head coach in the war room.

Citing multiple sources, ESPN reported that the Rockets won’t bring back Stephen Silas for a fourth season. 

As of press time, Silas, the son of the late former NBA player and coach Paul Silas, was slated to meet with Rockets general manager Rafael Stone to formalize the departure.