The Houston Rockets have led at halftime in four out of their last five games. They've gone on to lose every single one of these games, including Wednesday night to the Detroit Pistons who are 15th in the Eastern Conference. Digging through the film and confirming it with the numbers, it's not hard to isolate the problem: third quarter offense. Houston is only scoring 94.2 points per 100 possessions in the third quarter as compared to an average of 102.7 per 100 possessions in the other three quarters.
“I think we get content,” said Jalen Green when asked about the problem. “We have a lot of momentum going into halftime and then we just try to play hero-ball after that. The ball gets sticky and we play a lot of one-on-one and fall away from moving the ball.”
This is a common theme when you ask about Houston's second half woes.
“In the third quarters it gets just a little stagnant,” said Christian Wood. “We might have a lead one game or it might be neck-and-neck and we start try and go into isolation. I think if we stick to the game plan that we have, move the ball, and everybody touches it from side-to-side, then we're a hard team to beat.”
It would appear the Rockets have made this a point of emphasis to players during film sessions.
“When the ball's moving, we're at our best,” said Kevin Porter Jr. “We know that. We just try and keep the ball moving so it doesn't get static. Because every time it gets static, that's when teams go on their little runs. Our energy on offense affects the defense.”
It's not that the Rockets are completely opposed to isolations, but they prefer to treat it as a last resort as opposed to a go-to possession. If the play breaks down or the shot-clock is running out, of course Houston prefers some shot over nothing. However, the coaching staff would rather stick to their read-and-react offense. Even calling a play is something Houston is reticent to do.
“If we have multiple pick and rolls in a play, then we're doing pretty good,” said Silas. “Sometimes, we settle. Sometimes, we get to isolations and that sort of thing. Those are habits that we're slowly but surely trying to break.”
Strangely, the Rockets don't seem to have these issues in the first half. It's not like Houston is putting up Warriors-type offensive numbers in the first half, but they're five points per 100 possessions better in the first half.
“We're probably just focusing more,” said Porter Jr. “Because we come out very strong and very confident and we just gotta keep that same composure and our game plan when we go into the second half.”
And that's the answer that kept coming up during Thursday's practice. In the NBA, focus is a young player's kryptonite. Their energy waxes and wanes, they make careless mistakes, and they're impulsive shot takers.
“I've been saying it for some time now,” said Jae'Sean Tate. “We got to put a whole 48 [minutes] together. I think we put 30 together, even 35. Those little segments – those five minute drop offs – that's what costs us games.”
Houston's growing losing streak does feel like it has a mental impact during games. The second half issues have been apparent as a problem for a few games now and it seems Houston gets nervous in these crucial moments to close a game out. The knowledge that it's a struggle almost guarantees that it will continue to be a struggle – a self fulfilling prophecy.
“One hundred percent,” said Silas. “The pressure builds and you start getting tight at times. It's like a baseball player who's in a slump. If you've gone 0-for-7 and you're up to bat, then you're probably gripping that bat extra hard.”
Getting experience in these moments will almost certainly help the good young players on this team in the future. However, nine consecutive defeats is taxing on a team's mental health. The building almost feels quieter after these losses than regular losses. The coaching staff has to work tirelessly to make sure the group doesn't get too down on itself.
“Our belief has to be there,” said the Rockets head coach. “That's first and foremost. With our group, we have to believe that we can do it. It doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to happen for us. But without belief, it definitely won't happen.”
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