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Rockets Urgently Seeking Win, Visit Pelicans in the Big Easy

Home and Home.    Road Trip Finale.    The Big Easy Stretch.

 

Houston aims to get back on track, as they visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night for the last stop on this three game road-trip. The Rockets enter this matchup on a three game losing streak, coming off a 115-102 defeat to Pacers in Indy on Tuesday night. Houston is desperately seeking a win tonight as they aim to close their road trip on a positive note before returning home for a ten day home stretch in the schedule. Earlier this season back in December, the Rockets won the first two matchups with the Pelicans in Houston during the Christmas period. 

Despite New Orlean’s 17-45 record, the Pelicans have been playing better ball lately, going 5-3 over their last eight games. In their previous game, New Orleans suffered a 21-point road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. However, they did get a solid performance from Zion Williamson, who scored 37 points. Even though his career has been marred by sufficient injuries, Zion remains one of the most explosive players when he’s healthy and on his “A” game. Besides Williamson, C.J. McCollum is an All-Star caliber guard who can score 30 points on any given night. Moral of the story: the Pelicans still have some talented players, and if the Rockets aren’t focused tonight, Houston’s losing streak may continue.

Tonight’s matchup is the first of a home-and-home against the Pelicans. These divisional foes will square off once again on Saturday night back in Houston, for the final matchup of the season. This game also marks the stretch of several very winnable matchups coming up for the Rockets. After tonight, Houston returns home for six straight games, their longest homestand of the season. Starting with the Pelicans on Saturday night, every opponent has a losing record (besides the Dallas Mavericks, who are on their own path of imploding self-destruction), and the Rockets should be favored in every contest. It’s not impossible, but Houston can potentially begin a seven-game winning streak with a win in the Big Easy tonight.

Fred VanVleet remains out with an ankle injury. The Rockets have gone only 5-8 since FVV initially injured the ankle back on February 1st. Houston has a great chance to get a win against a New Orleans team that is firmly in the Cooper Flagg Sweepstakes, eyeing this summer’s draft lottery. Regardless, if they overlook the Pelicans, the Rockets will be in trouble, as has been a bad trend lately in losses for Houston as they’ve played down to their competition.

Hopefully, the Rockets are ready to play, and show some improvement from the free throw line, as the charity stripe has been very unforgiving to Houston this season. After a woeful 50% showing from the line in their last game, the Rockets are now officially the worst free throws shooting team in the league. Starting tonight, it’s time for Houston to improve on their weaknesses, and continue their push for playoff positioning, by bringing their skid to an end in the Big Easy against a Pelicans team ready for summer vacation.

 

Smoothie King Center:  New Orleans, Louisiana

 

Jersey Colors:

Houston Rockets (37-25):  White

New Orleans Pelicans (17-45):  Navy

 

Tip-Off:  7:00 PM CT

TV:  Space City Home Network,  NBA League Pass

Rockets Fall to Pacers, 115-102, as Struggles Continue in Third Straight Loss

Seventh Hell.    Bumps in the Road.    Losing Pace.

Houston trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half, stormed back to take a one point lead, but ultimately fell short, as the Rockets lost to the Pacers, 115-102, on Saturday night. After starting the season strong away from Toyota Center, Houston has now lost seven straight road games. Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists, but no one else on Houston’s roster had an exceptional outing.

Tyrese Haliburton continued his strong stretch of recent play, as his 28 points and 15 assists fueled Indy’s victory. Pascal Siakam also added 18 points for the Pacers, who jumped on the Rockets after the score was tied at 30 after the first quarter. Houston trailed by ten at halftime, and despite a comeback attempt, Indy had control of the game for the duration, as the Rockets road woes continued on Saturday night.

This defeat in Indy marks three straight losses for Houston, as the squad now boasts a record of 37-25, still good enough for the fifth spot in the competitive Western Conference. Although the Golden State Warriors are rolling since acquiring Jimmy Butler. And the Rockets now have a shrinking lead over the Dubs, as the Warriors sit in sixth place, only three games behind Houston for the fifth spot. To make matters worse, Golden State owns the tiebreaker, so the Rockets are essentially only two games ahead of the Warriors for control of fifth place.

Up next, Houston will try and break their road losing streak as they visit the Big Easy on Thursday night for the finale of their three-game road trip. The Pelicans are near the bottom of the standings, but have been playing well of late, winners of five of their last eight games. If the Rockets want to keep their hopes for a chance at home-court in the first round of the playoffs alive, they’ll need to channel that road-warrior mentality they displayed earlier in the season.

It’s not certain when Fred VanVleet will return, but the Rockets have struggled mightily without their floor leader. Houston is now 5-10 (including the game the injury occurred) since FVV went down with an ankle sprain. Without VanVleet, the Rockets are simply not the same team, especially down the stretch of games and during crunch time. Only 20 games remain now in the regular season. Houston can only pray FVV makes a healthy return before it’s too late, or the Rockets may find themselves even lower down in the standings.

Rockets Head Up North to Indy for Matchup with Pacers

Part Two.    Battle of Fifths.    Rotational Returns.

Houston continues their three-game road trip with a visit to Indianapolis on Tuesday night to take on the Pacers. The Rockets are coming off a road loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night. Houston was missing several rotational players (Fred VanVleet, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Dillon Brooks, Tari Eason, and Steven Adams), but most guys will be making their return tonight in Indy. VanVleet, however, re-aggravated his ankle in the loss at home to the Sacramento Kings. Therefore, FVV will remain out for tonight’s contest. The Rockets still have enough weapons to beat this Pacers team.

This matchup is a battle of fifth place teams in their respective conferences. While Indy started slow, and has been one of the better teams in 2025, the Rockets have slumped since FVV suffered his initial injury. Houston is now 5-8 since VanVleet first injured his ankle. The Rockets are still holding on the fifth place, but the Golden State Warriors are rolling, and not too far behind, sitting in the sixth position. Despite being severely undermanned in last night’s loss in OKC, Houston put forth a spirited effort. With a healthier team intact tonight, expect the Rockets to be hungry to end their current two-game losing streak.

Tonight’s game is also the second of a three game road trip for Houston, as they’ll wrap up the stretch with a visit to the Big Easy on Thursday night to face the Pelicans. Focusing on Tuesday night’s tilt, this is also the second and final meeting between these squads. The Rockets won the first matchup with the Pacers this season, besting Indy 130-113, back on November 20th in Houston. Tyrese Haliburton struggled in that game, but Indy’s star point guard has been rolling lately. The Pacers also have All-Star Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner, among many other options. Indy is quietly one of the deeper teams in the entire league.

Thankfully, after tonight, the Rockets only have two more sets of back-to-backs remaining all season (and none in the playoffs, if they can hang on and make the postseason). Houston is 6-8 in the second half of back-to-backs this season. They’ll look to improve on that mark as they battle a Pacers team thats also fighting for playoff positioning as we wind down to roughly twenty games remaining in the regular season.

 

Gainbridge Fieldhouse:  Indianapolis, Indiana

 

Jersey Colors:

Houston Rockets (37-24):  Black

Indiana Pacers (34-25):  White

 

Tip-Off:  6:00 PM CT

TV:  Space City Home Network,  NBA League Pass

Undermanned Rockets Fall Short in 137-128 Loss to Thunder

Late Scratches.    MVP Demonstration.    Moral-Est of Victories.

In a game that featured many of Houston’s players sidelined due to injuries, the Rockets still put forth a valiant effort, yet fell short to Thunder, 137-128, on Monday night. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander erupted to score 51 points for OKC, as his performance against Houston showed why he’s the leading favorite to win the NBA’s MVP award this season. Fred VanVleet, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Dillon Brooks, Tari Eason, and Steven Adams were all sidelined due to injuries. Eason and Adams sat out due to injury management per usual on the second night of a back-to-back. Unfortunately, VanVleet apparently re-tweaked his angle after stepping on a referee’s foot in their previous game against the Sacramento Kings. Sengun, Thompson, and Brooks were all game-time decisions that turned into late scratches for the Rockets.

Despite missing all those rotation players, Houston made this contest more competitive than expected in OKC. The Thunder needed every last one of SGA’s 51 points, as the scrappy Rockets refused to go away quietly. Cam Whitmore scored 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a striating role. And in his first start of the season, Reed Sheppard had the best game his young career. The rookie scored 25 points on 10-for-17 shooting, and dished out 5 assists in a career high 31minutes of playing time. Jalen Green added 18 points for Houston, but SGA and the Thunder were too much for this undermanned Rockets team to overcome. Fellow All-Star Jalen Williams added 24 points for OKC to help keep Houston at bay.

With the loss, the Rockets stay in the fifth place in the West, with a 37-24 record. Houston still remains only a game behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the fourth spot (and the Rockets own the tiebreaker with the Grizz). This defeat in OKC was the moral-est of victories for Houston. Monday night was as undermanned as the Rockets have been all season. And they hung with arguably the best team in the NBA for almost 48 minutes. Houston should be expected to get some players back for their next game, tomorrow night in Indy against the Pacers. The Rockets still have a four game lead over the Golden State Warriors for the sixth spot. But the Dubs are heating up, as the Warriors have gone 8-1 since acquiring Jimmy Butler right before the trade deadline. Houston doesn’t own the tiebreaker with Golden State, so the Rockets need to pile up some wins soon if they want to avoid slipping further down in the standings.

Rockets Begin Road Trip with Visit to OKC to Battle the Thunder

Monday Night Melee.    First of Three.    Part One.    

Houston begins a three game road-trip in the toughest of locations, with a matchup at Paycom Center tonight, against the Oklahoma City Thunder for a Monday Night Melee. OKC has dominated the Western Conference all season, as they have roughly a ten game lead over second place. The Thunder enter this matchup winners of their last three games. The Rockets slouch into this contest coming off a bad home loss to a undermanned Sacramento Kings team. OKC has won two of the first three matchups over Houston this season, and can clinch the season series with a victory tonight. The Rockets lost to the Thunder in the NBA Cup Semifinals in Las Vegas in the previous matchups between these conference foes.

Tonight is also the first part of a three game road-trip for Houston, as well as the first half of a back-to-back. The Rockets will travel to Indianapolis tomorrow night for a matchup with the Pacers. After retaining hold of the second seed for a few weeks, Houston has slowly slipped in the standings all the way down to the fifth spot. If the Rockets continue losing, they’re in jeopardy of falling into a Play-In spot, which could dangerously end their season in Sudden Death fashion.

Houston had one of their best games of the season in their victory over OKC. However, in their two losses, the Rockets were no match for the Thunder, losing both contests in blowout fashion. Houston’s Head Coach Ime Udoka needs to have his squad prepared for a tough battle tonight, as the Rockets aim to stay in the chase for home-court advantage come playoff time in the Western Conference.

Given that this is the first of a back-to-back, Tari Eason and Steven Adams likely won’t play tomorrow night, so expect big energy performances from those two Rockets off the bench tonight. Fred VanVleet is looking for a bounce-back performance after a rusty performance in his first game back, last Saturday night. Houston has shown they can beat this juggernaut OKC team, but they have yet to do it this season at Paycom Center… it’s time for the Rockets to channel their inner toughness and grit if they want to finally beat the Thunder on the road.

 

Paycom Center:  Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

 

Jersey Colors:

Houston Rockets (37-23):  Black

Oklahoma City Thunder (49-11):  White

 

Tip-Off:  7:00 PM CT

TV:  NBA TV,  Space City Home Network

Rockets Bow to Kings, 113-103, Suffer First Season Sweep

Swept Away.    No Sabonis, No Problem.    Hitting the Road.

For the first time in months, Houston was fully healthy entering their Saturday night matchup with the Kings. Sacramento’s star Domantas Sabonis even went down with a hamstring injury in the first minute of the game. Yet none of this mattered, as the Rockets eventually fell the Kings, 113-103, in disappointing fashion at Toyota Center. The loss closes out Houston’s three game home-stand with a whimper, as the Rockets now fall to 37-23 in the standings, still good for fifth place in the ultra competitive Western Conference. With this being the final matchup between these squads, Sacramento now becomes the first team to sweep Houston all season, as the Rockets dropped all three games to the Kings this season.

Alperen Sengun paced Houston with 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. Jalen Green added 24 points, and Tari Eason chipped in 14 points, but the Rockets didn’t get much offensive production outside of those three guys. Fred VanVleet showed signs of rust in his return, connecting on only one of his eight shot attempts during the game. DeMar DeRozan scored 21 points and Zach LaVine added 20 points to lead a balanced offensive attack from Sacramento. Houston’s defense allowed at least six different Kings players to score a dozen points. Besides scoring 38 points in the second quarter, the Rockets offense was quiet, not surpassing 23 points in any other quarters.

With their latest defeat, the Rockets are now 5-7 over their last twelve games, and slowly sinking down the standings. Houston has a tough three game road trip coming up next on the schedule. If the Rockets can’t get back on the winning track, the squad may find themselves slipping into a dangerous Play-In position. Houston has one of its toughest back-to-backs of the season, as the Rockets will play in OKC against the West-leading Thunder on Monday night, before playing the rising Pacers in Indianapolis on Tuesday evening. They’ll close out the road trip with a trip to the Big Easy for a Thursday night tilt against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Houston has also lost six straight road games as they prepare to play three straight away from Toyota Center. Hopefully the squad can regain the success they had earlier in this campaign, or the Rockets could be preparing for an earlier playoff exit than they anticipated after their solid first half to the season.

Rockets Aim to Dethrone Kings in Final Matchup of Season

Quarterback’s Return.    Whole Again.    Avoiding the Brooms.

Houston wraps up their three-game home-stand by hosting the Sacramento Kings for the first and only time this season. This contest is the final matchup between these squads, and the Rockets are 0-2 against the Kings this season, with both losses coming in Sac-Town. And for the first time in two months, Houston is finally fully healthy and whole again entering tonight’s matchup. Fred VanVleet will be making his return from an ankle injury after missing the last eleven games for the Rockets. Houston has sorely missed their floor leader and quarterback, as the Rockets went 5-6 without FVV in the lineup.

Despite beginning the season off the bench, Amen Thompson will remain in the starting lineup, as Twin has more than earned his spot with the first unit. Jabari Smith Jr. has no problem coming off the bench, and expect him to still play around the same amount of minutes, in the mid to high thirties.

Sacramento is a new look squad since the last time they faced Houston. The Kings dealt their star point guard De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs in a three-team deal at the trade deadline. In exchange they received star swingman Zach LaVine form the Chicago Bulls, who reunites with his former Bulls teammate DeMar DeRozan in Sacramento. How do these changes affect the Kings? So far, they’ve actually played better since the deal, so it will be interesting to see how they finish the season as they battle for playoff and play-in position down the stretch.

After a slow offensive performance in their previous game, expect Alperen Sengun to have a bounce back performance tonight against the Kings. Sengun has had memorable battles with both Domantas Sabonis and Jonas Valanciunas in the past, so Houston’s All-Star center should be prepared to put on another impressive performance.

Saturday night’s matchup is the finale of a three-game home-stand at Toyota Center. After tonight, the Rockets will hit the road for a three-game road trip beginning Monday night in Oklahoma City against the daunting Thunder. If Houston wants to stay in the hunt for the second seed in the Western Conference, they’ll need to close out the Kings, and avoid their first sweep of the season.

 

Toyota Center:  Houston, Texas

 

Jersey Colors:

Sacramento Kings (30-28):  Black

Houston Rockets (37-22):  Red

 

Tip-Off:  7:00 PM CT

TV:  Space City Home Network,  NBA League Pass

Rockets Blast Past Spurs, 118-106, to Win Season Series

Wire to Wire.    Efficient Prayer.    I-10 Victors.

In a rare occasion, Houston never trailed against San Antonio, as the Rockets beat the Spurs, 118-106 on Wednesday night at Toyota Center. The vast majority of Houston’s games have been close and competitive. It was nice to see the Rockets get a comfortable wire-to-wire win. The victory gives Houston the edge over San Antonio in the I-10 Rivalry Series this season, with the Rockets winning three of the four matchups. With Victor Wembanyama sidelined, the Spurs aren’t the same team. If Wemby can healthy next season, this rivalry should be amped up a notch in competitiveness and intensity, with both of these squads on the rise towards becoming future contenders. As for this season, San Antonio has pretty much slipped out of playoff contention, as the Spurs now boasting a 24-33 record, which pits them in thirteenth place in the competitive Western Conference. Meanwhile, Houston remains in fifth place in the West, although the Rockets still have an opportunity to grab the second seed with a strong finish to the season. 

Amen Thompson led Houston with 25 points on a very efficient 12-for-15 shooting from the floor. Twin also chipped in 9 boards and 5 assists in the win. Jalen Green added 21 points, and Dillon Brooks provided 19 points to round out the top scorers for the Rockets in their latest victory. On a night when Alperen Sengun struggled offensively, scoring only 9 points, Jeff Green came off the bench with another impressive showing, scoring 13 points in 20 minus of action. Rookie of the Year favorite Stephon Castle and Keldon Johnson scored 22 points apiece to pace the Spurs. And despite the final score showing Houston winning by a dozen, this game wasn’t close any moment, with the Rockets leading by as many as 28 points en route to the blowout victory.

After beating San Antonio, Houston now improved to 6-8 on the second half of back-to-backs this season. Coming up, the Rockets will now get another couple of days off before they host the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night to close out this three game home-stand. Houston is winless in two attempts against the Kings this season, with both losses coming earlier this season in Sacramento. As the Rockets will try and avoid their first sweep of the season, Fred VanVleet is finally expected to make his return to the lineup after an eleven game absence due to an ankle injury. Houston has gone 5-6 without FVV in the lineup. It’ll be nice to have a fully healthy Rockets squad, as the team prepares for the final stretch, with only 23 games now remaining in the regular season.

Rockets Host Wemby-Less Spurs in Series Finale

I-10 Finale.    New-Look Rivals.    Second Act Improvement.

The Houston Rockets resume action on Wednesday night as they host the San Antonio Spurs. Tonight’s matchup is the season series finale between these I-10 rivals. Houston is coming off a win at home over the Milwaukee Bucks last night. San Antonio lost to the Pelicans in New Orleans last night, as the Spurs are in the midst of a three-game losing streak. Tonight, the Rockets are trying to win consecutive games for the first time after the All-Star break.

San Antonio has a new-look roster, as they acquired star point guard De’Aaron Fox at the trade deadline. However, the Spurs will be without young star Victor Wembanyama, who was shut down for the the season due to a blood clot injury. Fred VanVleet will remain out for Houston once again. Tari Eason is also expected to sit out, as this game is the second of a back-to-back.

The Rockets will try and improve on their 5-8 record on zero days of rest. Houston has struggled in the second act of back-to-backs all season. However, competing at home, and against a team that also played last night, the Rockets should be able to pull out the victory against their in-state rivals.

Tonight’s tilt is also a nationally televised game, as the contest will be broadcast on ESPN as well as local networks. Houston won their first nationally televised game on Friday with a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The squad will look to shine in the bright lights of the national spotlight once again, as they have a great opportunity to earn a victory at home tonight.

It was recently announced that legendary Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich won’t be returning this season and his future with the NBA is in jeopardy due to his health. Pop’s done enough for the game, as Ime Udoka is one of his many disciples from his large coaching tree.

As long as the Rockets don’t overlook these Wemby-less Spurs, Houston should be in line for another victory tonight. However, if the proceedings get close near the end of the game, the Rockets could be in trouble, as Chris Paul and the newly acquired Fox are tow of the league’s best crunch time players. Houston is due for a blowout win… hopefully it will be tonight.

 

Toyota Center:  Houston, Texas

 

Jersey Colors:

San Antonio Spurs (24-32):  Black

Houston Rockets (36-22):  “City Edition” White

 

Tip-Off:  8:30 PM CT

TV:  ESPN,  Space City Home Network

Rockets Outlast Bucks, 100-97, for Narrow Victory

Home-Cooking.    Duo-Ing It Again.    Another Thriller.

Houston returned home victorious, as they outlasted the Milwaukee Bucks, 100-97, on Tuesday night. With the win, the Rockets improved to 19-9 at home, compared to 17-13 on the road. As with most games this season for Houston, the squad found themselves in another tight contest late, but managed to fend-off the Bucks for the win. After building a five point lead after the first quarter, the Rockets allowed Milwaukee to score 34 points in the second quarter, which saw Houston facing a two-point deficit at halftime. However, the Rockets bucked down defensively in the second half, as they allowed the Bucks to score only 38 points, including a stifling fourth quarter where Houston held Milwaukee to a mere 12 points. The Rockets struggled in the final quarter as well, scoring only 15 points, but it was enough for the victory.

As has been the case since the All-Star break, Houston was led by their star duo of Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green. Sengun register another double-double, scoring 23 points and grabbing 11 boards. Green added 25 points and 8 rebounds, as he continues to play at a consistent level since returning from the break. Amen Thompson was brilliant defensively, and had 9 points and rebounds apiece. However, Twin was ejected late with roughly five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter for a flagrant foul penalty two on Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo. The play didn’t seem to necessitate any suspension, so Thompson should be available for Houston’s next game on Wednesday night.

The Rockets held the NBA’s top scoring duo, in Giannis and Damian Lillard, below their scoring average. The superstar duo still scored 49 points, but their average is in the mid 50’s, so Houston did a solid job. The Rockets still had some very poor turnovers early and late in the contest that almost cost them the game. Houston’s free throw shooting was better from the previous game, as the Rockets went 14-for-18 from the foul line. Unless these teams meet in the NBA Finals, this is the last time Houston will face Milwaukee this season, and the Rockets managed to tie which was a very exciting season series (the Bucks won the first matchup by only one point in another thriller) with the win on Tuesday night.

Up next for Houston, the Rockets will turn around and play another game at Toyota Center tomorrow (Wednesday) night. This time, the I-10 rival San Antonio Spurs come to town for the series finale. Hopefully, the Rockets can finally manage to win the second part of a back-to-back against what will be a Wemby-less Spurs team on Wednesday night.