The Houston Rockets trailed by 16 points early in Sunday’s first quarter at Toronto, but they stormed back thanks in large part to effort from two unlikely sources.

Reserves Cam Whitmore and Jae’Sean Tate, who have played only sparingly in the 2024-25 NBA season to date, stepped up in a big way in Houston’s 114-110 comeback victory over the Raptors.

“We call it ‘stay ready’ for a reason,” Tate said of Houston’s end-of-bench players, via Space City Home Network. “We hold each other accountable, and we hold each other to a standard. Every night in, I think you see that. We’re able to move guys into that spot in the rotation, when we need to, and that’s just a credit to the organization… and the work we put in over the summer and throughout the season.”

The Rockets (19-9) clearly needed energy Sunday, and they also had minutes to fill given the injury absence of Tari Eason. Fortunately, Whitmore and Tate both stepped up.

“We went with them sooner than planned,” head coach Ime Udoka said postgame. “Both of those guys were great, giving us a boost.”

With a clear jolt of energy, Whitmore and Tate contributed to numerous positive plays on offense, defense, and in transition. Their statistical lines finished as:

• Whitmore: 11 points, 4 rebounds; 5-of-10 shooting, 1-of-2 on 3-pointers (50.0%), +13 in 14 minutes
• Tate: 7 points, 2 steals, 2 rebounds; 3-of-6 shooting (50.0%), +14 in 15 minutes

“That’s our job, to bring juice off the bench,” Whitmore said postgame. “We always say, ‘Bring the juice.’ Coming off the bench, me and JT (Tate) had a big impact. We always talk about that, too. We always talk about off-the-court stuff. Stay locked in, stay ready.”

With Eason’s return timetable not yet clear and night two of a road back-to-back looming Monday in Charlotte, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if one or both have their numbers called, again.

“Those two guys gave us big minutes off the bench, gave us a chance to come back and win the game,” said Dillon Brooks, who scored a game-high 27 points for the Rockets. “They’re both dogs. They love to play the game. I’m glad they both of them stayed ready. When their time comes, they shine.”

Houston is now in the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference standings, and only a half-game back of Memphis (20-9) for the No. 2 position. The Rockets are double-digit games above .500 for the first time since the 2019-20 season.

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