Rockets-Thunder tilt shaping up as defensive battle
On an Oklahoma City Thunder roster that also includes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, last season's runner-up for Most Valuable Player, and Chet Holmgren, who finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, Jalen Williams can sometimes get overlooked.
But heading into Friday's matchup with the visiting Houston Rockets, Williams is surging after an uneven start.
Over the last two games, Williams is shooting nearly 57 percent from the field and averaging 26 points and seven rebounds.
He's coming off a 29-point, 10-rebound, nine-assist effort in Wednesday's loss at Denver.
"He had a really good game," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "He had a nice blend offensively, of attacking, shooting, moving it, and defensively he always helps with his size, his motor."
In the season's first six games, Williams was shooting less than 43 percent from the field.
Part of those shooting woes can be attributed to an uptick in 3-point attempts. After averaging just 3.1 3-point attempts per game over his first two seasons, Williams made it a point in the offseason to make outside shooting a bigger part of his repertoire.
"You don't wanna force anything," Williams said. "We have a lot of good players, so there's never really a need to try and force your will. You just try to hit open shots."
The Thunder are coming off Wednesday's 124-122 loss at Denver after winning their first seven games by at least 12 points.
Friday's game is the opener of a season-long, six-game homestand for the Thunder.
The Rockets have won back-to-back games and four of their last five, including Wednesday's 127-100 home win over San Antonio.
Friday's game figures to be an early measuring stick for the Rockets, who are looking to make another jump after finishing .500 last season following three consecutive seasons well below .500.
But Houston isn't making the game bigger than it needs to be at this stage.
"We played good teams last year, this year," Fred VanVleet told the Houston Chronicle. "It's another game. We know the challenge that they bring. We know the type of team that we are. We're ... kind of on our own road. Just got to walk that road and keep chipping away."
The Rockets are preaching patience as they focus on improving and possibly earning their first postseason berth since 2019-20.
"We're working through everything right now," VanVleet said. "There's still going to be growing pains. I think we still have to manage expectations individually, collectively. But I like where we're at. I like where we're headed."
The game features two of the league's top defenses.
The Thunder come in leading the league in defensive rating - points allowed per 100 possessions - by a wide margin.
Entering Thursday's games, Oklahoma City sat at 96.5, more than seven points better than No. 2 Golden State.
