Rockets finally grant fans' greatest wish in dominant win vs Raptors

As the Houston Rockets cruised to a dominant victory over the Toronto Raptors, 139-121, the team finally shook off all of the rust that had plagued their offensive front through their first two games, looking undeniably smooth throughout the course of the night.

Although the defense is still lagging compared to last season's dominance, this team has a new look with Kevin Durant on the roster, and the offense as a whole finally flashed their potential against the Raptors, taking the team to a 2-2 record on the season.

While the play of Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard still remains the team's greatest question mark, a performance such as this is a highly encouraging sign for their ability to lean on their star scorers.

Rockets are finally firing on all cylinders offensively

As Houston dropped their first two matchups, against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Detroit Pistons, there were large stretches of both games where the offense ground to a complete halt as they failed to buck some of the more disastrous habits they had taken on last season.

Through both of those losses, the offense lacked spacing, and, despite the team heavily utilizing both Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams, they failed to dominate the paint or draw the fouls they needed to stay competitive on offense.

Agains the Brooklyn Nets, the team looked much improved, getting the ball to Durant in his spots and shooting efficiently from the field throughout the course of the night. Yet, even against a weak defensive opponent, the team still succumbed to pressure at times, having a number of awkward possessions and amassing 22 turnovers throughout the course of the night.

Against Toronto, however, these problems seemingly disappeared. Durant put up 31 points on 57.9% shooting from the field, taking on mismatches and making the Raptors pay time and time again. Sengun dominated the paint, and, while he only took eight shot attempts on the night, he finished with 18 points on 75% shooting.

Moreover, Jabari Smith Jr. continued to look exceedingly confident in his jumper, scoring 25 points and shooting 8-of-16 from the field.

In addition, both Sheppard and Thompson looked more comfortable with the ball in their hands, collecting only four turnovers between them (of which Sheppard had zero). The team as a whole committed only 15 turnovers on the night, limiting opportunities for Toronto in transition and keeping the game in a comfortable spot for almost its entire duration.

While every night will certainly not play out like this, it is refreshing to see the team's vision come to fruition, and it is quite probable that they can continue to build this momentum when they face the Boston Celtics on Saturday.