Although the Houston Rockets ultimately fell, 112-109, to the Denver Nuggets in their third game of NBA Cup group play, there were a number of performances that showed the Rockets' continued improvement.
The foremost among these was the play of second-year guard Reed Sheppard, who got hot early and, although he slowed down in the second half, finished the game as the team's leading scorer.
He posted a career-high 27 points, also amassing four assists and two steals while shooting 5-for-8 from beyond the arc throughout the course of the game. While Houston ultimately lost in heartbreaking fashion as Alperen Sengun missed the final shot at the buzzer, at least Sheppard's growing confidence was put on full display.