Jock Landale, symbol of a successful Rockets bench

“ Dillon Brooks if you're listening, this isn't Memphis! “, loose Jock Landale towards his teammate. The former Grizzlies player, well on his way to making a big offensive splash (23 points on 10/13 shooting in 25 minutes) against Chicago, was sent back to the locker room after his altercation with DeMar DeRozan.

“ Stop getting kicked out. We need you, your physical impact », continues his partner with a smile. However, he and the Rockets did very well without him, ending up winning against the Bulls.

“ When Dillon came out, he was having a great game, and Jabari (Smith Jr.) had foul trouble, it's good that these guys came in and made an impact “, underlines Ime Udoka when talking about the performances of his replacements. He adds : ” We've seen it all year, the guys take advantage of opportunities, whether it's fouls or injuries. It was a great night for us to outclass their bench. »

In good shape for five matches

On an accounting level, the observation is unequivocal: 28 points for the Bulls' replacements, including Coby White (13 points) who made his return, against 49 for those of the Rockets. The dinosaur Jeff Green contributed 14 points and 7 rebounds, Aaron Holiday 15 points and he also had a favorable impact on the score.

“ Everyone else came in and contributed, Jae'Sean (Tate) and Reggie (Bullock Jr.) Also », Adds Ime Udoka, obviously citing the main contribution of the evening from the bench: Jock Landale. He finished with a double-double with 17 points (6/10 on shots) and 12 rebounds (career record), as well as 5 assists and 2 blocks in 27 minutes.

For the fourth time in five games, he exceeded a bar of 10 points that he had never reached so far in the season. “ It was just the opportunity that presented itself to me. Being in the right place at the right time. Most nights I try to play like that, be solid, get out near the rim and set good screens. I have good teammates who are willing to find me in the right place », notes the Australian.

One of the best net ratings in the league

The latter obviously “takes advantage” of the absence of Alperen Sengun to recover minutes. His presence was all the more necessary this night to respond to the “Twin Towers” ​​of Chicago, Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond. Thanks to his impact, particularly on the offensive rebound, the Rockets won the rebounding battle.

In attack, he was able to evolve in several registers. “ Our guards get so much attention on pick-and-roll, he was huge in the pocket with his mid-range pullup, floater or finding others. And not only that, clearly his impact on offensive rebounding. He's a lob threat, so he can do a lot of different things », Lists his coach, who uses Jabari Smith Jr. as a pivot and Jeff Green as a “pick-and-pop” replacement.

With these adjustments and this efficient bench, which displays the 3rd “Net Rating” in the league (+5.5 points) on the streak, the Rockets remain on seven victories in a row.