(Photo credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)
At no point was there an expectation that the Houston Rockets, with their mix of youthful holdovers and new veterans, would make everything work with precision from the onset.
There will be growing pains, and cohesion will take time. Case in point: After erasing what had been a 16-point deficit against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, the Rockets took their first lead since late in the first quarter when Jalen Green scored through a foul for an 87-85 advantage with 6:42 left to play.
What followed for Houston, which will host the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, was a disjointed stretch that resulted in the Warriors reeling off a 15-2 run en route to a 106-95 win.