The Rockets reserves help them to a 122-113 OT win in OKC

The strange thing about preseason games is that everything counts except the final result. The Rockets followed up their loss in the preseason opener with a 122-113 overtime win over the Oklahoma City Thunder that no one but Jermaine Samuels Jr. and Jack McVeigh wanted. While it's nice to see the Rockets score higher than their opponent, let's be honest… the Rockets' starters looked outclassed compared to the Thunder's starters.

With Fred Vanvleet out, Amen Thompson was brought in as the starting point guard, and similar to last season when Vanvleet was out of the lineup, the offense looked stale when it wasn't too busy looking sloppy.

The Rockets' starting lineup of Sengun, Smith, Brooks, Jalen Green and Thompson recorded more turnovers than points in the first four minutes of the game. There was almost no ball movement as Jalen Green led the team with two assists at halftime. At the end of the game, Cam Whitmore's three assists were a team high.

There were some positives as the Rockets had periods where they played strong defense and contested the Thunder's outside shots, boxing out, rebounding and keeping the game relatively within striking distance. However, it was clear that shooting was still an issue for this young Rockets squad.

In particular, it was the bench combination of Tari Eason, returning for the first time this preseason after an injury last season, and Reed Sheppard, who were able to make the most of their minutes. Tari played 14 minutes, scored eight points on three of six shots and grabbed five rebounds. Sheppard played 23 minutes and scored 11 points on five of seven shots, including a three-point field goal on his only attempt. He grabbed four rebounds, two assists and one steal for the game.

Their efforts and Jalen Green's brief second-quarter winning streak helped the Rockets overcome an initial 11-point deficit and tie the game at 37 with just over five minutes left in the half. However, the Thunder went on a 23:10 run and ended the half with the Rockets trailing 60:37. The Rockets shot a miserable 36.4 percent from the field in the first half and had 13 turnovers and 14 fouls.

The Thunder rested their starters in the second half and the Rockets' starters struggled to close the gap when they were pulled. Sengun was the Rockets' best man with 17 points on five of seven shooting, nine rebounds and he shot 11 of 12 from the foul line. Jalen Green's three 3-pointers in the second quarter were the only shots he made from the field, finishing the night with 12 points.

Players like Aaron Holiday, Jock Landale, Jack McVeigh and Jermaine Samuels Jr. helped the Rockets tie the game in regulation thanks to a free throw intentionally missed by Samuels that bounced perfectly off the rim to McVeigh, who scored the only shot , which I have ever actively drawn for a Houston Rockets player to miss. Nobody wants overtime in the preseason

I even held out hope that the NBA, like the NFL, had ruled out preseason overtime. To their credit, a number of players who will either be playing in the G-League or playing overseas at the start of the season were able to get the OT win.

Of course, we're not going to overreact to a preseason game where it's clear the Rockets are still shedding some rust, although that excuse will be a little less viable in 2024 when most of these guys practice and play ball year-round. But still… It's preseason. That being said, this was a bit of a test to see how far the Rockets have come since last season.

It was a little disheartening to see them struggle to create anything close to a sustained offense without Fred Vanvleet on the field. Many Rockets fans have speculated that the Rockets could potentially move on from Vanvleet next season, if not by the trade deadline, until the development of Thompson and Sheppard is complete.

Strictly based on tonight, the Rockets don't seem ready to move on from Vanvleet any time soon, although I was encouraged by Reed Sheppard's play tonight as he improved his performance against the Utah Jazz.

All things being equal, the Rockets have some things they need to improve on, but a single preseason game shouldn't dampen our excitement for the new season or cause us to lower our expectations. The Rockets have a wealth of talent and Ime Udoka will spend the rest of this preseason and likely the start of the regular season mixing it up and figuring out which lineups work together. He has proven that he can and will find the right combination, and he has proven that it doesn't matter who plays the hardest and most effectively.

The Rockets will not play another preseason game until October 15th at home against the New Orleans Pelicans. Kickoff for this game is at 7:00 p.m. CST. The game will be broadcast on The Space City Home Network, KBME Sports Talk 790 and 93.3 FM.