The Fall of the Rockets! Houston’s Rise to the Top Hits a Roadblock
The Houston Rockets suffered their eighth-straight road loss last night to the Indiana Pacers, dropping this one 115-102. Against one of the better offenses in the NBA, the Rockets couldn’t keep up, allowing the Pacers to score 37 points in the second quarter to build a lead.
Houston has flat out struggled in the second half of the regular season. After going 28-13 through their first 41 games, the Rockets are now 9-12 since Jan. 20, which ranks 16th in the league.
The offense has been the most glaring issue for Houston. The team was able to get away with scoring less due to its suffocating defense, as it was one of the best in the NBA. However, in the last 21 games, the Rockets rank 22nd in offensive rating (111.4), have dropped to 12th in defensive rating (113.4), and post a -2.4 net rating.
The Rockets’ biggest hardship came in late-January and carried them into early February when they dropped six-straight games to lose the second seed in the Western Conference. Houston was previously ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and Memphis Grizzlies, but in a tight playoff tier. All of them have jumped ahead, leaving the Rockets as the fifth seed.
Houston has now begun another losing streak of what is now three games, which begs the question: was it a fluke first half to the season? The team’s rapid ascension to a top team in a crowded conference shocked the league, but there was real belief that this team could make a deep playoff run in its first postseason appearance since 2020. Now, the Rockets look like they’ve regressed to performances during their rebuild.
The Rockets can still make a deep playoff run, as anything is possible. They also still hold a top-six seed which guarantees the appearance, but it’s hard to ignore that drop from the No. 2 spot in the West after such an amazing start to the season.
It’s important to note that Houston has been dealing with injuries throughout the second half of the regular season, as most of the rotation hasn’t been fully healthy throughout the last 20 games or so.
With all players in the rotation but Fred VanVleet having played against the Pacers, the hope is that a fully healthy Rockets roster turns it around. However, there’s still major concern with the regular season winding down.
