Houston, we have another problem: something doesn’t feel right with Rockets
Houston’s record still shines, but familiar flaws resurface in Dallas as injuries and offensive stagnation deepen doubts about their true ceiling.
Houston arrived in Dallas riding a four-game winning streak. And yet the mood around the team was anything but positive. In the city, criticism has been mounting over an attack that looks heavy, blunt and short on solutions. Even Ime Udoka has pointed to his team’s defensive slippage – the very tool that bailed them out repeatedly last season and which no longer looks nearly as reliable. And although the Rockets remain fourth in the West with 21 wins from 31 games, just one victory behind a depleted Nuggets team that logic suggests they will overtake sooner rather than later, almost no one is currently putting them among the top-tier title contenders. Which, given their roster, project and stated ambitions, is precisely where they should be.
Houston lost 110–104 in Dallas after another offensive misfire. Their 38.7% shooting from the field was the second-worst mark of their season. Overall shooting numbers have not been especially poor, but that owes a lot to their dominance on the offensive glass and the second-chance points they generate near the rim. On this night, for instance, they beat the Mavs 17–2 in offensive rebounds and 15–0 in second-chance points. But they are also the fifth-worst team in the league for assists and the very worst for three-point attempts. The long-term absence of Fred VanVleet, sidelined before the season even began, has been a brutal blow to both the fluidity and the decisiveness of their offense.
As if that were not enough, Alperen Şengün lasted barely a minute on the floor. He twisted his ankle jumping for a rebound and, although he walked off under his own power, he was visibly limping, leaving real concern about the severity of the injury. With Steven Adams also unavailable, Houston were left with Clint Capela as virtually their only true interior presence, which opened the door for Anthony Davis to produce a strong performance. He finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and five blocks. Max Christie was impressive too – the league’s fourth-best three-point shooter by percentage – pouring in 24 points on 4-of-6 shooting from deep.
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