?That Was for Coach?: Rockets Pay Ultimate Tribute to Paul Silas as Jabari Smith Jr?s ?Near-Perfect Game? Restricts Giannis Antetokounmpo?s Bucks Down the Stretch

The Houston Rockets pulled off an amazing and unexpected victory against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. The Rockets, who are dead last in the Western Conference with an 8-18 record for the season, managed to pull off an upset over the second-placed team in the Eastern Conference. And it seemed as if the Rockets had a certain extra motivation to win the game today after the death of Hall of Famer, Paul Silas, the father of Rockets head coach Stephen Silas.?

The game ended with a final score of 97-92. And the young core of the Rockets was evidently fired up throughout the game. Pulling off showtime plays, throwing alley-oops, and managing to stay within striking range.

The Rockets got a win for their head coach

After the game ended, the coaching staff was absolutely fired up. Assistant coach John Lucas took over the coaching task for the game against the Milwaukee Bucks for head coach Stephen Silas.?

He could be seen jumping up and down the court as the final buzzer sounded. After the game, in the post-game conference, he said, ?That was for Coach [Silas].? Lucas also mentioned that he did not want to use the excuse of having a young team as a response to losing games.?

Rockets’ shooting guard Kevin Porter Jr. gave props to his teammate, Jabari Smith Jr. after the game. He credited Smith for defending Giannis Antetokounmpo throughout the game, and his efforts were evident in the final minutes.?

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Porter Jr. said, ?That?s a big assignment, especially for a rookie. But we trusted Jabari, and he handled it well. That was a near-perfect game for Jabari.??

Though Smith Jr. may not have had a perfect game statistically, his efforts and hustle sure made it seem like it.

Team leaders for the Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets managed to keep the Milwaukee Bucks to just 5 points in the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter. For a rookie to defend one of the most dominant players in the league was surely a task that Smith Jr. handled very well.?

The Rockets were led by Jalen Green as he scored 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists in the game while shooting 12-21 from the field. Seeing the record that the Rockets had, arguably nobody expected them to come away with the win tonight.?

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However, the players knew what was at stake. The young core made sure to get the victory for their head coach in honor of his father.?