Clutchfans Game Thread: Magic @ Rockets 11/16/2025

Gotta admit I hollered also lol. During inbound I’m thinking “Ok now everybody just get away from any Magic player this is over just don’t even come close…..NOOO what the f****” lol. Surprised Foster didn’t call it. But glad we escaped with a win in this frustrating damn game.

 

Scott MFing Foster. Put some 'spec on the POS' name. Really hope the expanding NBA gambling scandal circles back to catch his azz.

 

This makes me more happy than the win. This team really loves being together.

 

Very precarious situation, if either Bane or Wagner or both made the leap to superstar from being minor stars, this is over with.

The difference is being whose stars are bigger. Sadly wasn't such a good game but a W is a Double U.

 

Seeing Thompson run straight to the corner three position and wait to see if he gets a touch was frustrating today. Sitting there while Durant and Sengun control the ball.

 

You only commented on one half of the court. Holiday and Reed were godawful on defense and that is the reason they didn’t play but a tiny bit down the stretch, but we really needed Reed’s offense in the first half to get back in it. Amen had an awful offensive game and continues to miss easy shots, but he was again really good on defense and was clutch in the 4th quarter and OT. The double big plus double midget lineup was ridiculous. Reed and Holiday should never be in the game together.

Alpi played poorly in the first half, but absolutely turned it on in the second half. Adams did his thing on the offensive boards, but overall had a bad game and his offensive rebounds didn’t get converted into buckets. He has terrible hands and we have to play that horrible zone when he is in the game.

Jabari had a solid game, but can’t guard Bane on the perimeter. Once Amen switched on Bane he cooled off a bit, but they did get Amen to switch off a couple of times and he burned Jabari, Durant, and Reed each time they got stuck with him.

I didn’t know Durant was such a lazy passer. Maybe it’s still playing with a new team. As a team, when we play teams that are as tough as we are we struggle. Detroit and Orlando are the 2 examples that come to mind. Amen really needs to turn up his aggression even if he gets stripped or misses some bunnies. I think his confidence is shook a bit.

I hope Adams doesn’t take the majority of Tari’s meeting for several reasons:

He is a one trick pony and when playing with Sengun we have to play zone.
He is going to get tired and probably injured if he keeps playing minutes like tonight. He is a good backup center and that should be his role except in very rare situations.
Okogie and Reed could eat up 8 or so minutes each and wouldn’t force Ime to play the zone. Adams and Holiday can add a few situationally. Tari, Okogie, and Reed are all averaging 22 minutes and everybody is clamoring for Reed to get more so 8-10 more minutes should be perfectly fine for Reed, but most of those minutes should be played with Amen and/or Okogie. Okogie’s defense can make up for some of the defense we will be missing from Tari. He is young enough to play 30 mins. If everybody is missing 3 pointers then Holiday can stop the offensive bleeding for a few minutes, but playing him and Reed together is ridiculous.
All this changes if DFS can get on the floor, but he might struggle a bit especially on offense until he gets integrated. The whole team is scoring well, but I do think some of that is still do to schedule. No panic by me. This team is a championship contender after they work the kinks out. It’s still early in the season with two new starters and Amen and Reed trying to learn how to play the point. Ime needs to get away from this awful zone. I actually think it hurts Reed as much as anyone on that side of the ball.

 

What an amazing game last night! It was not the best game but it was like a movie if you imagine what happens in the last seconds of the 4th quarter and the OT. I think to take next Level its more important to learn winning games where you play very bad then winning the game with 30 Points difference.
To Compete the Championship you need to learn how to win the close games! We saw that this team did everything to win this game. I love that to see how the Rockets won a very bad game against a solid NBA Team. After the game i had the possibility to sleep 2 more hours until i must wake up but i was so hyped, that i cant sleep anymore! Thank you Rockets to let me without sleep xD

 

Insert I Think You Should Leave gif. "You Sure About That"

 

He hit his free throws. He good.

 

100 shots to 91 shots. Rebounding matters.

 

RS15 has been watching tape because Desmond Bane is in the same mold of Dillon Brooks, only milder. They are the Draymond Green type players that do crazy, childish stuff.

 

Bane pissed me off this game, but he is like Amen. You want him on your squad. I'd take him any day.

 

It’s why strong economies are important. People lose the ability to be rewarded for work…..idle hands…..

yes, astute observation. When I go home I often think of how it is like stepping back in time. The odds of seeing a Rivian are much less in that part of the world, let alone a charging station.

 

He kinda reminds me of me of a muscled up Eric Gordon @Reeko @Salvy @Os Trigonum @DreamShook

he even looks like he has a low fun meter!

 

no eric gordon slander please.

 

I don't think Bane is in the mold of DB or Draymond Green. He's not a dirty player who likes to hit opponents when the refs aren't looking or knee them in the groin. He talks trash though.

What he does have even more than DB or Draymond is a temper, which he sometimes even uses on teammates during games.

 

I love defensive stops, and a great sequence happened with 22 seconds left in OT, when JSJ trailed Franz Wagner and blocked him at the rim.

But just as impressive was just before that block, with Sengun playing excellent one-on-one D to deny the quicker Anthony Black's drive.

The Rockets then getting back the ball and Durant drilling a mid-range to pretty much seal the game was the cherry on top.

 

He might become chippier......

 

Nah it would depend on how many techs/fouls Draymond already has.

If he has no techs and four/five fouls, he gets a tech.

If he has a low number of fouls and one tech, double foul on Draymond and whoever he trips.

If he has four/five fouls and a tech, the foul would be on Bane for using his foot to prevent Draymond from getting up. No video review because refs would hurry to help inbound the ball.