The Houston Rockets pulled off a comeback on Wednesday night, rallying from 14 points down to beat the Golden State Warriors 104-100. The star of the night was Reed Sheppard, who put up a career-best performance with 31 points to help Houston secure their 12th win in their last 14 games.Sheppard, who is earning $10.6 million this season, looked confident and in complete control while putting on his most impressive offensive displays so far. He committed only two turnovers in 37 minutes, shot 12-25 from the field, including 4-12 attempts from deep, and finished with the best box plus-minus among all Rockets starters.Fans online could not help but rave about his scoring ability and shot creation:“biblical levels of midrange greed,” @willymoose8 said.“His off ball movement and deep threat opens up the Rockets offense so much,” @Asleep_Ground1710 wrote.“he can just get that little pullup middy whenever he wants and it's so good to have that option,” @sorendiz wrote.“his balance is so fucking good, idk how he manages to square himself on some of his shots but his form is pristine,” @sorendiz said.“Reed Sheppard has been such a revelation. Don’t even care is he wasn’t uber-efficient, really liked to see the aggression from him when Sengun and Amen didn’t have it tonight. If anything, hitting middies consistently and being able to get the rim is better for making him a dynamic threat. Our best player tonight,” @Sc0rch1ngDr4g0n wrote.“All he needed was confidence. That pull up middy is money,” @A1_PunisherPipkins said.Along with the scoring, Reed Sheppard also posted a career high nine rebounds, plus five assists and three combined steals and blocks.Reed Sheppard steps up in Kevin Durant’s absenceThe Houston Rockets were missing several key players in their NBA Emirates Cup matchup against the Golden State Warriors, including Kevin Durant, Steven Adams and Tari Eason. Even without them, the team displayed a “next man up” mentality.Reed Sheppard spoke about how the group stayed united and found a way to pull out the win."We just gotta come out here and play. Play like we know how to play," Sheppard said during the on-court postgame interview.Kevin Durant being sidelined worked in Sheppard’s favor. With Durant unavailable, the lineup shifted. Jabari Smith Jr. slid to power forward, Josh Okogie to small forward, and Amen Thompson took on the shooting guard role. That opened up the chance for Sheppard to run the offense as the point guard.When Durant is healthy again, the Rockets will have an interesting decision to make. They could keep Sheppard in the starting lineup and move Okogie to a bench role. Another option is to let Sheppard take charge of the second unit and become a high-impact sixth man. Irrespective, his performance on Wednesday will earn him a significant role in the rotation.