Picture Credit: Instagram
The Houston Rockets’ Nate Hinton was part of a painful caper during their game on Sunday against the Utah Jazz when Jazz forward Ed Croswell, who was hanging from the hoop, dropped directly onto Hinton. Worse yet, Crosswell’s right foot stamped Hinton’s leg and groin area, causing the latter to clutch it in pain.
Hinton’s Rockets teammates quickly turned to the referee while Croswell put his arms up to signal his innocence. The incident didn’t seem malicious at all, rather like a series of unfortunate events, and didn’t put a damper on an otherwise quality game that saw the Rockets win 115-101 and qualify for the Summer League final.
Rockets to play Cavaliers in Summer League Final
The Rockets have been one of the most impressive attacking outfits at the Summer League this year, averaging 109 points. Despite this, the game was anything but certain and the Jazz took an initial lead of 14-8 in the first quarter.
But the team managed to turn it around and went into halftime with a 49-37 lead. The Houston team had their biggest advantage of the game in the third quarter after Jermaine Samuels made it 73-59. The lead ensured that the Rockets would see out the game, despite a strong finish by the Jazz who would end the quarter on a 13-6 run.
Hinton was instrumental in the win, recording a solid defensive performance that saw him make five steals while also recording a game-high 27 points. Rockets fans will hope that the former University of Houston player will continue his impressive form on Monday in the finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers are an intimidating opponent, having gone 5-0 so far, beating the Brooklyn Nets 102-99 in the semi-finals. The match kicks off Tuesday morning at 6:30 am IST.
