Look at Sheppard! Dove on the floor! And the Rockets are going to have the ball. That’s unbelievable. And the picture it’s it’s two all-stars hyping me up after getting a steal.
My teammates, they’ve given me so much confidence this year. They’re just saying like you belong So just go out and just hoop. Reed Sheppard has been a difference maker. I’ll tell you what Reed Sheppard, he’s not afraid of the moment. I think Reed can be a star in this league.
He has his own story to write, and he’s writing it right now. Houston was a team I had been looking at as how good could these guys be? The biggest thing recently, Fred VanVleet goes down torn ACL. That’s a lot to ask for anybody to replace 35 minutes of excellent basketball. That means Amen Thompson has got to take the next step in his development.
Reed Sheppard, you’re looking for that floor general, that floor leader and Aaron Holiday, veteran guy. They’re going to just see what they have in those guys and kind of bet that they’re still going to be a really good team. But this injury was an absolute gut punch. Losing a veteran presence like Fred, it’s definitely hard. I would call Fred the brains of the team.
He got everybody orchestrated, he set the table. I don’t think you could fill his shoes, but we’ve taken a step doing it collectively. Get one up there. Get one up. On the court, we got to make up for his talking.
He talks a lot on the court. Putting guys in places, running the offense, taking care of the basketball. Fred, still being around practices and games has been huge for the team. Come on Reed, get here Reed. Load up again.
Durant back to Sheppard, quick release. Good shot boy. Still letting his voice be heard and giving input. Good minutes Reed. After the OKC game, we sat down and watched film for like 20 minutes and just just him taking the time to do that, you know meant a lot because he didn’t have to do that at all.
Stop, they’re not going to come back. Reject was great, that’s how you got that three the first time. Just get to that early. With Reed and Aaron, there were everyday conversations about how they can contribute to this team and how they had to be more of a leader vocally and leading by example. From my standpoint, I used to play so I’ve been in that situation and I know how it feels to gauge when you’re not playing and the mentality that you have to have.
Aaron is A+ for me, he’s 100. He’s the definition of being a professional. When your number’s called, you’re ready to go in whether it’s five minutes, whether it’s 15 minutes. That allows him to play at a high level because his mindset is in the right place. It’s about the team and it’s not just about him.
The Cavaliers claw back into this game. They were down 17 at the break. It’s a four point game. Once you’re out there playing you don’t really think about pressure. Obviously we were up big and we were locked in early then we let it slip away but we got back to playing our game and our style of basketball.
Holiday got to the rim finishing with the lefty lay! Thompson inside, cross court, Holiday pulls got it. Holiday looking for an answer and does. KD was able to draw two, they kept helping off of me and I was just able to knock down the shot. A silencer applied to the crowd here.
Mitchell lost the handle, Durant got it back, two on one. Holiday takes it himself. Got a whistle and a foul on the play. That’ll do it folks. Houston wins it 114 to 104 and Holiday with a strong close to this game, 18 points the majority coming in that fourth quarter.
We have a lot of good players here. One through 15 can get out there and do something So that’s I think that’s what those games really show for us. I think the biggest motivator is just being able to be out there and playing the game. Last year didn’t go exactly as I planned so this summer was a big summer for me. We worked on like three weeks in a row of defense without touching a ball so that was that was not very fun but it needed to be done and it’ll be something that I continue to work on.
I felt like I took a big leap and it just gave me confidence all around. Reed is a very talented player. His shooting is definitely his best attribute, but he knows the game, he can read the game, he can make passes. He put in the work in the weight room. He’s gotten stronger to take the hits and take the bumps.
Having some kind of hutzpah when you’re out there and not being phased from the pressure because guys going to speed him up, they’re going to try to test him but I think he’s passing those tests with flying colors right now. Out to Reed, fires Reed Sheppard has been a difference maker. Look at Sheppard! Dove on the floor! And the Rockets are going to have the ball!
That was a cool moment. That’s unbelievable. And the picture, It’s two all-stars hyping me up after getting a steal which is really, really cool. And you know, the support and confidence that they’ve put in me this year, it’s been unbelievable. That’s a winning play, winning player.
He’s just going to get better and better. I can see that he has so much more potential and I think that’s his time right now. Playing freely and not thinking too much, that’s the Reed we like to see. His teammates have confidence in him. He said that Amen Thompson told him if you’re open and don’t shoot it, I will punch you in the face.
He said I’m going to punch you in the face so I was like, Coming off that high pick, shooting, scoring. Everybody in that locker room and this organization, they love what he brings, they love his energy, they just love everything about him. My teammates, they’ve given me so much confidence this year. Just go out and just play, have fun, play free. They’re just saying like you belong so just go out and just hoop.
Here comes Amen Thompson, Jabari wide open, nice find ahead for Sheppard! He feathers in the corner three. Good pass baby! Sheppard! On fire!
Hey, that celebration Let’s get it, let’s get it, let’s get it. Win on three, one, two three, win. This is a fun matchup with these two teams. The Rockets come in 11-4. Going into the game we didn’t have Kevin, so we knew that was a lot of points.
So just going in I knew I was going to be super aggressive and you know, luckily the shots were falling that night. Sengun to Sheppard, Sheppard in his second year has been excellent. Knocks down that three pointer, he’s got 17. He’s a different player this year. Turn it over, the Warriors do.
Sheppard Lines up a three, nails it! Reed Sheppard now with 20 as the Rockets back within five. He has quieted down a lot of the conversation around this team when Fred VanVleet went down. Oh gets inside! Was Reed Sheppard ready?
That was the question but it looks like he is ready. And they’ve tied the game. When the game got tight he had the ball in his hands. He took some tough shots. He made some tough threes.
He brought it home for us. Golden State led by as many as 14, Rockets took the lead. Sheppard gets in the paint, pulls up. Jump shot is good! Reed Sheppard’s got 26.
Two on one Butler, Richard, back to Butler. Puts it up, missed it! Sheppard the rebound, here come the Rockets. Holiday three pointer. Puts it in!
Aaron Holiday from downtown. Here comes Sheppard. Sheppard jump shot. Got it again! 28 for Sheppard, four point Rockets lead.
Sengun spins, goes inside. Double team, kicks it out. Smith up top, Sheppard whips it inside. Shot is good! Thompson put it in, what a shot!
Incredible pass as well. What a road win for the Rockets. Lead by their second year guard Reed Shepard with a career high 31 points. Him closing a game like that on the road against a Hall of Famer like a Steph Curry, that speaks volumes. The Rockets are back here at home after a long time on the road.
Amen Thompson with the flush! Sacramento’s giving them absolute layups. Sengun going to work and the Rockets just owning the paint in the second half. He’s got 24 points now. Durant working baseline.
Awkward angle but not an awkward finish. The Rockets ran away and ended up blowing out the Kings. The 14-5 Rockets welcome back some familiar faces and the 13-9 Phoenix Suns. Durant with the seal off to rise up, the shot, and the make! And there it is, history for Kevin Durant.
31,000 career points. And the Reed three, good! The Rockets shooting in this game 61% from the field, 59% from three. The early season schedule for the Rockets Ryan has been wonky but here we are, the Rockets and the Clippers. On the left wing, spins into Batum, right elbow.
Surveys as he holds the ball but Sengun takes it away from behind. And Sengun says I’ll take it right from you and then jam it down at the other end! Here we go! Here come the Rockets, Amen dumps it back to Steven Adams The dunk! On splash mountain!
Leonard dumping it back to Zubac. Threw it in. To Harden. Got it. That just tied it up at 110.
Fans on their feet. Durant lob to Sengun, out right side Sheppard three ball for three, no! Tapped by Sengun, no! Another chance, no! Another chance at the end!
That’s Amen Thompson and he’s fouled! And the time eventually runs out on the Clippers. And the Rockets hang on to eke out this two point win here tonight, 115-113. I know it’s early in the season, but this is a monster game for the Houston Rockets. I like it, set the tempo, bring the physicality.
Heavyweight matchup here in the mile high city! Houston and Denver. You gotta love it! Durant, he made something out of nothing. And now he’ll shoot it, he will score!
Here’s Reed Sheppard. Comes off that double pick, good look at a three. And he sticks another one! The Rockets have their biggest lead of the game. Thompson to Sheppard.
Uh oh, he’s right there with Jabari. Another one! Great shot. Awful spacing, but a great shot from Reed Sheppard. His second straight three.
Reed out high. Valanciunas jumps him, comes around it, shoots. Reed Sheppard, good lord! Six triples! Back across on the skip.
Jabari, oh he had to pick it up from his ankles. And he stuck it, fifth three! Durant again, good shot, three ball! He’s feeling himself. KD goes for 31.
His partner in crime, Reed Sheppard, goes for 28. And the Rockets got a much needed win here in Denver. Kevin 31 points for you, you seemed like you really wanted this one. What was your approach tonight? I just feel like we needed some extra juice and and I can’t even explain how great he was tonight, and I just fed off of that.
It’s all confidence and you know, you got a guy like Kevin telling you, go out and be aggressive, look for your shot. That makes it so much easier. So just going out, playing the right way and looking for my shot and playing with confidence. The baby face assassin had some trash talk too, were you proud of Reed? Man what, they can’t come at my dog like that.
I think Reed can be a star in this league. With the absence of Fred that allows him to get the playing time, the minutes, the exposure, the experience and he’s taking it in full form. He has his own story to write he’s writing it right now. Sheppard to Sengun, back to him. Reed Sheppard!
His third three! He’s got 11! Hyping up his bench, his bench hyping him back up. My friends and family back home definitely gave me a hard time about that one. I had like 15 people send it to me and they were all really concerned about what I was doing.
That’s all Jeff Green’s fault. This whole clip is Jeff Green’s fault. See you can’t see in the video, Jeff’s doing the same celebration so that’s why I was doing it. And they got me and I looked crazy like I looked so that’s I’ll blame that one on Uncle Jeff.
Read More: Kevin Durant Postgame Interview l Houston Rockets
Read More: Kevin Durant Postgame Interview l Houston Rockets
