His mask could barely contain Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas on Monday night after a 117-99 victory over the Toronto Raptors, who lost a 20-game franchise record to a merciful end.
A day earlier, Silas was upset after the Rockets’ 114-112 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Silas’ post-game news conference opened with a question about whether the Rockets felt the weight of the losing streak. He stared for a few seconds, holding his head in his right hand, before mumbling softly, “Yes.”
Several current and former NBA coaches have reached out to Silas over the past 24 hours, encouraging and telling him stories about their own long losing streaks. These conversations helped lift Silas’ mood, which skyrocketed when the last buzzer rang in the Toyota Center on Monday night, embracing first-year coach John Wall’s point guard.
“It’s like indescribable for a win in March of this crazy season,” Silas said. “I’m just so proud of the guys. If you like to fight so hard and you just see the disappointment in the players’ faces after loss after loss after loss. Then go to the locker room after today’s game and everyone is just happy and joyful, I mean, it’s super cool and wonderful.
“Yeah, whatever, I was here every now and then. It seems like a week ago now. We’re regrouping, we’m getting together, and yeah, it’s feeling a lot better just because I know it’s feeling good for the players. Like, what even for me, but I’m just so happy for those guys that they do not have to hear about it and deal with it. ‘
The Rockets’ last win before beating the Raptors, who now own nine games in the NBA, to nine games was on Feb. 4 over the Memphis Grizzlies. Houston won seven of eight games at the time, but star center Christian Wood severely sprained his ankle in that victory and sidelined him for the next 17 games.
Houston sustained several other major injuries during the losing streak, including guards Victor Oladipo, Eric Gordon and Wall missing extended pieces. The Rockets also reached a mutual decision with forward PJ Tucker to part ways after opting not to play in the first game after the All-Star break, eventually swapping him for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Houston hosted the NBA minimum of eight players in some games during the series.
The Rockets lost 12 consecutive double-digit games before Sunday – the same as the Dallas Mavericks 1992-93 and the Minnesota Timberwolves, which stretched over the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons, for the most consecutive losses by 10 or more points. , according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“If we lost 20 straight, we would not have been healthy yet, but that is not an excuse because everyone has been through health and safety protocols and injuries,” Wall said. He had a triple-double double with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. . “We just went out there and participated, no matter what and what’s going on.”
The Rockets never gave up the lead over the Raptors after continuing late in the second quarter. Houston forward Danuel House Jr. hit a 51-foot shot to beat the buzzer at halftime and block the Rockets’ lead to five points, a sign that the Rockets could finally get a breather.
“I was like, ‘Whoa, well, maybe it’s the night. Maybe,’ ‘Silas said.” We had games where we hit just four three-pointers the whole game. Now we have shot a halfway. It felt like something special could happen. For us it is especially a victory after so many losses in a row. “
Not that it was easy for the Rockets the rest of the way. Houston built up a 13-point lead in the third quarter, but the Raptors ended the quarter with a 13-2 run to pull within two points. The Rockets defeated the Raptors 29-13 in the fourth quarter to bring the losing streak to rest.
“It’s about damn time, man,” Wood said. He scored all 19 of his points in the second half after getting into trouble early. “It’s about a damn time.”