ClutchFans Game Thread: Raptors @ Rockets 3/10/2026

I think this might be one of the most disrespectful things a player has ever said about another team lol

 

Oklatonio + Peasants

 

B

I’ve been advocating for Amen being more selfish almost from the first game. He really struggled early trying to conform to the traditional PG role. I think he is finally starting to figure out that he needs to define his position on the team and I think Ime has been in his ear in that regard. I don’t agree with the narrative that his defense has regressed. I think he just can’t freelance as much as last year, because of the difference in personnel. He has much more responsibility on the perimeter with Durant and Reed, instead of FVV and Jalen. I watch both ends of the court closely and Amen should still be 1st team defense this year. He probably won’t ever win DPOY, because of the position he plays and playing in an era with Wemby and Chet.

 

That’s not the point. Ime has clearly wanted to defer to Sengun and Durant all year. In the last five games, Amen has been much more aggressive with his own offense and I think that is partly because Ime has told him to be more aggressive in that regard. Amen is the consummate team player and will do whatever is asked of him. He’s not going to average 25 points, because Durant and Sengun have to get their touches. This team would be so much better if Ime would let Amen and Reed initiate the offense every single time down the court. Amen scoring 25 efficient points would be much better than Sengun scoring 25 points on very poor efficiency and turning the ball over at his current clip.

Amen initiating also frees Reed up for what he does best, shoot. He is regressing in that regard, because team’s have adjusted after his hot streak and are not waiting on him to get hot before double teaming and roughing him up at the half-court line. Ime needs to counter that strategy by putting Reed in motion off the ball. It opens up the lane for Amen to drive and dish and Reed is the biggest benefactor when Amen is set free like that. Reed is not a good iso player at this point, so it is a difficult pill for Ime and Reed only fans to swallow.

 

Ime counter? Unintentional comedy I’m sure. The next time Ime counters something will be the first.

 

True.

 

pretty sure Team Dickerson called Team Jabari a r****d

 

This was a fun one to attend. It was the first game I'd taken my son to since 2019. Come to think of it, every game I've ever gone to with him has been a Rockets blowout victory. Maybe we should go more often.

If the Rockets got this version of Jabari more often, they'd be a top 3 team in the league(not just the West). Alpi, Tari, and Reed had weak performances and yet it didn't matter because KD and Jabari dominated.

 

Kobe dropped 80+ against a really bad Raptors team.
Wilt dropped 100 against a bad Knicks team.

Michael Jordan dropping 60+ in the ECF against Bird/McHale/Parrish/Ainge/DJ and Elgin Baylor dropping 60+ in the NBA Finals against Russell and the greatest dynasty in sports...... those are the two that really stand out for me as the best scoring performances.

Yeah - the Rockets have some serious foundational issues. There are some physical and skill limitations on both sides of the ball that prevent the Rockets from doing some necessary things on both sides of the ball. The pieces fit poorly, the flaws the Rockets have are hard to work around, and when you cannot shoot from the perimeter and also cannot defend in the post, it causes problems that cannot be worked around.

Rebounds and limiting turnovers are great things -- but deep in the playoffs that doesn't make up for a lack of perimeter shooting and defensive issues in the post. Slapping FVV and Adams on the floor help but isn't enough against talented and well coached teams.

 

Agreed. It also cheapens the accomplishment when the Heat spent a decent part of the fourth quarter intentionally fouling to get Bam more possessions to score. Jordan’s 60+ in the Eastern Conference Finals was easily better than what Adebayo did last night.

That said, this Wizards’ team is a lot worse than the Raptors were when Bryant went for 81. Those Raptors were around a minus -3 SRS whereas these Wizards are in the -11 range. They also had their best active player, Alex Sarr, on a 20 minute restriction that he exhausted midway through the third quarter.

 

Bam only getting 12 FTs would still get him to about 56-62 points which is still a huge accomplishment for a 2nd tier scorer.....

If he gets his Point Per Game from 21 to 25ppg that would indeed be huge and cement him as a borderline Superstar by age 30 .....he is only 28 .....Prime for bigs are around 30.

Aja should get him better prepared for the entire season and not just 30 games.

 

Luka is going to get 50 FTs some day.

 

You throw a hard foul, something at least

it’s a big testament to the coaching here and how it fails the players. Senguins was dogshit don’t get me wrong

 

The turnovers in this game were horrendous. Like a group of guys that started playing bball together just yesterday. No wonder why alley oops are so rare in this team

 

They bore me to death on here