With the way the season is going for the Houston Rockets, it seems as if there is a player or players on the team every game being welcomed back into the lineup. Houston has had multiple players out of its rotation of late due to injuries, health and safety protocols, or suspensions.
Most recently, Rockets forward Garrison Mathews and guard DJ Augustin were re-inserted into the rotation Monday in Philadelphia.
Both players had been out of the lineup since the end of December after being placed in the NBA health and safety protocol due to COVID-related issues. Even though the Rockets were happy to have both players back in the lineup, Mathews’ 3-point shot was clearly missed most.
Mathews was eager to get back on the court after being isolated at home.
“Boring,” said Mathews about how his time was away from the team. “Just laying on the couch, watching TV, playing with my dog, that was about it.”
After a scorching start in the first half, scoring 17 points to give the short-handed Rockets a one-point advantage over the 76ers at halftime, Mathews cooled down in the second half after fatigue began to set in after having such a lengthy layoff. He finished the game with a team-high 23 points, making 4-of-8 shots (50%) from beyond the 3-point arc.
“In the fourth quarter, I started feeling it a little bit,” said Mathews, who tied his season-high scoring total in Monday’ return.
“Having six, seven days off, it’s hard to take that many days off and come back and get right to it. My body felt fresh. It wasn’t sore like it was before. It was good to have a few days off, but when you take seven days off, your conditioning starts to wear down a little bit towards the end.”
Mathews, who signed a four-year contract with the Rockets back in December, said postgame that he was frustrated during his personal hiatus by just watching and not being able to play. However, he did take time to watch film on how to get better on the defensive end of the court.
“I try to pay attention to defense more than the offense, because that is what I try to focus on to be different,” Mathews said. “So just watching different guys in the league and watching their tendencies.”
On Wednesday, the Rockets wrap up a two-game road trip in Washington before heading back to Houston for a three-game homestand.
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