His mask could barely contain the smile of Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas on Monday night, after a 117-99 win over the Toronto Raptors, who ended in a compassionate final with a streak of 20 franchise record losses.
A day earlier, Silas was visibly baffled after the Rockets’ 114-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Silas ’press conference opened with a question about whether the Rockets felt the weight of the losing streak. He stared down for a few seconds, holding his head in his right hand, before muttering softly, “Yes.”
Several current and former NBA coaches have been in contact with Silas for the past 24 hours, offering him encouragement and relating to him with stories of his own losing streaks. Those conversations helped catch Silas’s spirits, who fired when the final buzzer sounded Monday night at the Toyota Center and freshman coach hugged Houston’s mainstay guard John Wall.
“It’s indescribable to win March this crazy season,” Silas said. “I’m very proud of the guys. When you’re like to go through it and fight so much and you just see the disappointment in the faces of the players after loss after loss after loss. Then go into the locker room after today’s game and everyone is happy and cheerful, I mean, it’s fantastic and great.
“Yeah, whatever it is, yesterday I was down and down. It looks like a week ago. We regrouped, we got together and yeah, it feels so much better just because I know it feels really good for the players. Me, but I’m so happy for those guys who don’t have to hear about it and deal with it. “
The Rockets ’last win before beating the Raptors, who now possess the NBA’s longest active losing streak in nine games, was Feb. 4 against the Memphis Grizzlies. Houston had won seven of eight games so far, but star center Christian Wood severely sprained his ankle in that win, leaving him out for the next 17 games.
Houston had several other key injuries during the losing streak, including guards Victor Oladipo, Eric Gordon and Wall who missed prolonged stretches. The Rockets also made a mutual decision with striker PJ Tucker to break up after opting not to play in the first game after the All-Star break, and eventually traded him to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Houston hit a minimum of eight NBA players in some games during the streak.
The Rockets lost 12 consecutive double-digit games before Sunday, coinciding with the 1992-93 Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Minnesota Timberwolves, which spanned the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons, for the most consecutive loss of 10 or more. points, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“Losing 20 in a row, we haven’t been healthy, but that’s not an excuse because everyone has been undergoing health and safety protocols and injuries,” said Wall, who had a 19-point double, 11 rebounds and 10 rebounds. assistance. . “We just went out and competed, no matter what happened and whatever happened.”
The Rockets never gave up the lead over the Raptors after advancing to the end of the second quarter. Houston striker Danuel House Jr. fired a 51-foot shot to beat the midfield bell and increased the Rockets ’lead to five points, a sign the Rockets could finally get a break.
“He was saying to me,‘ Wow, maybe this is the night. Maybe, “Silas said.” We’ve had games where we’ve only got four triples throughout the game. Now we got a shot in the middle of the court. It looked like something special could happen. For us, special is a victory after so many defeats in a row. “
It’s not that it’s been easy for the Rockets the rest of the way. Houston gained a 13-point lead in the third quarter, but the Raptors closed out the quarter with a 13-2 run to get two points. The Rockets outscored the Raptors by a margin of 29-13 in the fourth quarter to stop the losing streak.
“He’s about the damn man, man,” said Wood, who scored his 19 points in the second half after having early foul problems. “It’s a damn time.”