Offense Sputters as Rockets Fail To Score 90 for 2nd Straight Game, Fall to Spurs 96-89
Things started off bad. The Rockets were down early again, 17-8, in the first quarter. Houston seemed to miss more than 20 layups in the first 5 minutes alone. Then Eric Gordon (who had his best game of the season in his return from injury) finally made a layup for the Rockets, which sparked an 11-0 run to give them a 19-17 edge. Ultimately, it didn’t matter. The Rockets weren’t good enough. Again. Yes, the game was somewhat competitive in the 2nd half compared to their other (mainly) blowout losses, but Houston lost another game they should’ve won. The squad is now 4-7 through the first 11 games of the season. True, there is still plenty of time left, 71 games to go, in the season. However, if the Rockets don’t get their edge back and for once this season efficiently perform on both sides of the floor, Houston will find themselves fighting for a playoff spot from the outside looking in. The irony in much of Houston’s situation is the defense is finally improving for Houston but their offense hasn’t looked this ghastly in the history of the D’Antoni era. Usually, the majority of Houston’s problems are on the defensive end but this season has been different, in particular the last couple of games. The Rockets abysmal shooting and inability to convert on shots they made the vast majority of the time last season has led them to put up college-number scoring numbers. The rest of the league is putting up record numbers on offense. Houston will need to catch up, and quick, or else this season could be one of the worst in recent memory. Next up for the Rockets are the Indiana Pacers who Houston saw just a few nights ago on Monday in Indianapolis. I never thought I’d say this well into the season, but the Rockets will try and (finally) get their first home win of the campaign Sunday night at Toyota Center. It’s a quick turnaround. Let’s hope the Rockets put urgency in front of fatigue on their priority list and gut a much-needed victory.