The Rockets beat the Indiana Pacers 130-113 on Wednesday night, putting Houston back in the win column. The Rockets dominated the second half, securing their seventh win in their last eight games. Alperen Sengun had a game-high 31 points and recorded his sixth double-double in his last seven games.

Jabari Smith continues to show off his impressive skill set, scoring an efficient 23 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Tari Eason was the standout on the defensive end, grabbing a game-high six steals in just 23 minutes of play. Eason has been one of the best defensive players in the league all season long.

After last night’s impressive six-steal performance, Eason is now tied for 2nd in steals per game, averaging 2.2. Even more remarkable is that he is tied for second in total steals despite ranking 122nd in total minutes played. Eason’s ability to pull off that many steals in just 23 minutes per game is a level of production rarely seen in the NBA.

As you can see in the video below, his anticipation is what sets him apart from most players:

According to the Rockets, Eason is the first player to achieve that stat line in 23 minutes or less; Victor Wembanyama did it in 25 minutes last season. Eason also leads the league in defensive box score plus/minus, defensive rating and steals per 100 possessions.

It’s early in the season, but if they were handing out awards for the first month of the season, Eason would be near the top of the list for Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year – that’s how effective Eason has been. the season begins.

The Rockets return to action on Friday when they host the Portland Trailblazers in the first of two back-to-back games against the Blazers.

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