Rockets end record losing streak with victory over Raptors

Photo courtesy of The Canadian Press

It's over. After more than a month and a half of injuries, drama, and losing, the Houston Rockets managed to do what was previously thought to be impossible -- win a game of professional basketball.

For the first time since February 4, the Rockets found themselves in the win column, defeating the Toronto Raptors on Monday night by a score of 117-99.

Christian Wood put it best at the game's conclusion -- "It's about damn time." It was a long time coming for a team that had gone through the worst stretch of basketball the franchise had ever seen. While the record will still linger in infamy through the team's history, what's important is that it's over.

What made the win strange (and all the better) were the contributions from what felt like everyone on the team. John Wall and Christian Wood certainly got theirs, but it was the playmaking from the others who got the job done.

Most notable among those others was rookie star Jae'Sean Tate, who led the team in scoring and put in one of his best games as a Houston Rocket. Tate put in 22 points, missing only one of his nine shots, while also dropping in six rebounds and five assists, while also playing impeccable defense and nabbing two steals.

And who was right behind him, second in scoring? Not anyone you would have expected -- it was Sterling Brown, who started the night by scoring 13 of the Rockets' first 15 points. He would finish with 20 points overall, along with ten rebounds.

And of course, John Wall helped to put a cherry on top of things, adding a triple-double (19p/11r/10a) to the Rockets' winning effort, along with this vintage highlight.

For the first time in a while, it felt like things were going the Rockets' way. Houston managed to overcome solid games from Toronto's regulars (Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet all managed to score 17+), and early foul trouble from their star Christian Wood, who was already on a minutes restriction (he still finished the game with 19 points).

Christian Wood's explanation for the win? Teamwork. "We fought together. We stayed together. It's about damn time, man. It's about damn time."

And the numbers reflect that team effort. All of the starters scored in double figures. The team notched 28 assists on the evening, a sign of a willingness to share the ball. Even better was the low turnover total -- only 11 -- a welcome change from the sloppy basketball being played in weeks past.

And no one was happier with the win than Coach Silas, who was seen hugging John Wall in the aftermath of the victory.

Silas' relief was evident in his postgame presser. "Thank God, we finally got one."

"I was down and out yesterday. It seems like a week ago right now," Coach Silas added. "There are far more lessons learned from a losing streak. I don't ever want to learn those again."

Hopefully, he never has to.

The Rockets, while still one of the worst teams in the league and more than inclined to continue losing for better draft position, at least get the big monkey off of their back, and won't have to worry about setting the league record for longest losing streak in history. For now, they can simply enjoy going 1-0 tonight and enjoying a victory.

Houston's next game (and chance to potentially start a winning streak) will come on Wednesday evening against the Charlotte Hornets, in what might be a few Rockets' players last game in Houston for the season prior to the Thursday trade deadline. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 PM CT.