Houston is a young team in the making, with 26-year-old Jae’Sean Tate already counted among the seniors, even though it’s only his 2nd season in the NBA. The Rockets lost 16 of their first 17 games, but won for the 4th consecutive time at Oklahoma City tonight: 110-114.
The absolute star was Tate, who two years ago made good again with the Antwerp Giants and last season – after a detour in Australia – ended up with the Rockets.
Tate’s report tonight: 32 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 blocks. Figures that only the legendary Hakeem Olajuwon has ever shown him in a Rockets shirt. “He was fantastic, on both sides of the field,” Houston coach Stephen Silas waved in praise afterwards.
Tate herself remained humble. “It was just one of those evenings where everything worked out. I got the confidence of the coach and the teammates gave me the ball. We won thanks to our fighting spirit. It was not an easy win, our first away from home this season.”
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NBA champion Milwaukee didn’t get it as a gift against Charlotte tonight. Led by the young LaMelo Ball, the Hornets played uninhibited. The visitors steamed to an 18-point lead early in the game, but the Bucks had the last word after the break: 127-125.
Giannis Antetokounmpo decided the match with a lay-up 2 seconds before the buzzer. The Greek had a total of 40 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists. With the Hornets, LaMelo Ball excelled with 36 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds. The 2 protagonists exchanged their jerseys after the match.
It was the 8th straight win for the Milwauke Bucks. Only Phoenix can present a longer run at the moment, with 17 consecutive wins.
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