Rockets drop tenth game in a row in loss to depleted Raptors

Photo courtesy of Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

The losing streak has officially hit double digits.

Despite missing one of their best players in Pascal Siakam, along with a majority of their coaching staff (including head coach Nick Nurse), the Toronto Raptors still managed to down the hapless Houston Rockets on Friday night in Tampa Bay, by a score of 122-111.

In a rare sight during this extended losing streak, Houston actually managed to bring the offensive firepower in this one. Five Rockets managed to score in double digits, and their offensive peripherals actually reflected a decent game as a whole -- just under 43% shooting from the overall field, with 34% from deep.

Victor Oladipo helped to lead that charge. In what was arguably his best game since his Rockets debut back in mid-January, Oladipo went for 27 points (9-21 shooting), five rebounds, and four assists in the losing effort.

Not to be outdone by his backcourt mate, John Wall also put in an admirable performance, dropping in 21 points (also on 9-21 shooting) to go with 12 assists.

Still, this is the Houston Rockets we're talking about, and despite the encouraging performances from their backcourt duo, the team still found themselves trailing by a boatload throughout the game. The Rockets were down 23 at one point with six minutes left in the third quarter.

Though, as they're also prone to doing, the Rockets attempted to mount a comeback late. Houston trimmed that deficit to 15 by the start of the fourth quarter, and even managed to get as close as six with just under four and a half remaining.

That ultimately wouldn't be enough, however, as a 13-8 run from Toronto to end the game would seal the loss for the visiting Rockets.

The Rockets (who probably lead the league in fake comebacks mounted), have lost ten games in a row for the first time since November of the 2011 season. They'll have three more tries to snap the streak before the All-Star break begins, with their last try coming in the form of a fated reunion against James Harden and the Brooklyn Nets on March 3.

In the meantime, however, they'll try to focus on snapping the streak against their immediate next opponents, the Memphis Grizzlies, on Sunday evening. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 PM CT.