Reed Sheppard was the lone bright spot for the Houston Rockets in its 112-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets in NBA Cup action, dropping a career-high 27 points while leading the Rockets in scoring.
The second-year pro shot an extremely efficient 9-for-13 (69.2%) from the field while making 5-of-8 (62.5%) three-point attempts. He also added four assists, two steals, and was a +13 on a night when most of Houston’s starters struggled from the field.
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Sheppard Stepping Up
Sheppard played a career-high 36 minutes in the loss, the first time all season that he’s logged more than 30 minutes of game time. He didn’t score his first points until 52 seconds left to go in the first quarter, making a layup off the feed from Alperen Sengun.
The second quarter was a different story, with Sheppard exploding for 18 points in the frame. He hit a pull-up three just 20 seconds into the quarter before adding to his highlight reel with a loud dunk thanks to another pass from Sengun.
The Kentucky product then made three treys in the final five minutes of the quarter to help Houston outscore the Nuggets 37-21 in the frame, giving the Rockets a 49-46 lead at the break after Houston’s rough shooting display in the first.
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It was the latest step forward for Sheppard after he shot just 27% from the field while averaging 9 points over the first two games of the season. Including his new career-high against Denver, the second-year pro has now scored in double figures for eight consecutive games. Sheppard scored 15+ points in five of those eight games, displaying a level of offensive growth and consistency that was missing in his rookie season.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets’ Reed Sheppard has career-high night in Houston loss