The Houston Rockets have undoubtedly been a better team this season. They equaled their win total from last season, twenty-two wins, with a convincing victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on January 29th, and 36 games still remaining. In hindsight, this should be a positive result.
It would certainly be nice if Houston could carry momentum from one win into the next. Unfortunately, it's the same old song and dance. Hoping to finally start a win streak in January, the Rockets fell short in a crushing defeat against the New Orleans Pelicans, 110-99. Facing a team missing Herb Jones and star Zion Williamson, the Rockets failed to capitalize, mainly due to ongoing issues with three-point shooting.
Coach Ime Udoka harshly criticized his team in the postgame for another poor shooting night.
“The main thing you want is some carryover from game to game,” Udoka said. “We're so inconsistent. You never know which team will show up on a night-to-night basis. As good as we were against the Lakers, playing fast, we got out but didn't capitalize on opportunities tonight.”
As a team, Houston shot just 13-of-44 from behind the arc, amounting to a poor 29.5%. This killed their efficiency, as they shot 22-of-43 from two-point range, 51.2%. Jabari Smith, Alperen Sengun, and Dillon Brooks combined for a dismal 8-for-28, more than half of the starting lineup's output. Smith, in particular, scored zero points in just over 21 minutes played.
New Orleans also dominated the rebounding game, 56-29, grabbing nearly double what the Rockets did. Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas took complete control inside with 14 rebounds, stifling Sengun's ability to get anything going.
Over a cluster of recent games, Houston's three-point shooting has improved lately, shooting above 37% against the Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Lakers. However, in that same cluster, three-point shooting has been inconsistent, with poor percentages below 34% and into the 20s against the Portland Trail Blazers, Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, and Utah Jazz. This trend of poor three-point shooting continued against New Orleans.
Despite the team's inconsistency since the start of the year, Jalen Green turned in another solid performance with 31 points on 12-of-20 shooting and 5-of-12 from deep. In the last five games, the former second-overall pick has averaged 29.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. This is arguably the most meaningful stretch of his NBA career. Additionally, Cam Whitmore continues to excel off the bench, scoring seventeen points in just 20 minutes played.
The frustration of the Rockets' coach has become more apparent lately, especially in the recent matchup against the New York Knicks, when the Rockets trailed by thirteen in the fourth quarter.
Ime Udoka is not happy at all. pic.twitter.com/SIEkuDo4D9
— Lachard Binkley (@BinkleyHoops) January 18, 2024
Another infamous moment like this happened again against the Brooklyn Nets, when the Rockets started off extremely slow, trailing as many as 25 points in the second quarter.
It's no secret that injuries have been a factor in Houston's losses. However, the inconsistencies are glaring, even against teams they should handle more easily.
Prior to this matchup, the Rockets had the upper hand over the Pelicans, winning both contests, including a decisive In-Season Tournament game where Houston displayed sheer tenacity, energy, and focus. When the team is unfocused, lethargic, and misses shots they should make, games like these aren't won.
“They forced us to shoot a ton of threes, packed the paint, so we got some really good looks early, especially in the first half,” Udoka added. “Seventeen fast break points, we could've probably had thirty. We were terrible in transition as far as our 5-for-13 in opportunities. It's a tough one. We're so up and down and inconsistent.”
The lack of rebounds and three-point shooting constantly underscores the need for trade deadline acquisitions. All Rockets fans can do is hope that Rafael Stone makes some moves to get Houston back to consistent winning.
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