Tonight the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs complete their season series. San Antonio leads 2-1, and a win for the Spurs would clinch the tiebreaker, not that it’s likely to matter. This is the first of three difficult games in four days for Houston.

To talk about the Spurs, I enlisted the help of my friend, Blaine. He’s a Spurs fan that spent many nights with us in Playback (RIP), and he’s a smart basketball mind and great dude. I asked him some questions and he was kind enough to give some super detailed answers, even when I put him on the spot with San Antonio’s championship chances. I learned a ton, and I hope you do as well.

Armin (AK): By the old Phil Jackson metric, approximately 83% of all NBA champions won 40 games before losing 20. The Spurs are one of three teams that qualify this season. How serious are San Antonio’s chances? What would you consider a successful postseason?

Blaine: Going into this season, I honestly thought we would be happy with the 6 seed. At this point in time, we are probably a year ahead of what I thought our progression would be. Last year, we finished 13th in the West. I figured we would pass Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, and Memphis Grizzlies. I thought Dallas could be dangerous if they were healthy, but we knew Kyrie Iriving was a long shot this year, and Anthony Davis doesn’t have the best luck. I didn’t love Golden State’s offseason, the LA Clippers were (are) going through an interesting Steve Ballmer/Kawhi Leonard based investigation. That left Oklahoma City, y’all, the LA Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and Minnesota Timberwolves as teams I thought could stay ahead of us and it still be seen as a potentially successful year of further growth. Y’all lost Fred VanVleet, then Steven Adams, and Dorian Finney-Smith hasn’t been the player I thought he could be for y’all. Denver has had to go without Nikola Jokic for a stretch, Aaron Gordon for longer, and Cam Johnson hasn’t been as big of a factor as I thought he could be for them, but they should be a dangerous team come playoff time. We’ve shown we can matchup well with OKC, beating them 4-1 this season (admittedly, 1 game they basically punted), but they are still the defending champs and current #1 overall seed. 

All this is to say that we definitely have a shot, but history says it’s unlikely. The list is short for teams that found postseason success with as little playoff experience as our core has. On the plus side, Harrison Barnes and Luke Kornet each have 5 playoff runs and one ring each, but Barnes was 5th in minutes for the Warriors in the 2015 finals, Kornet was 11th for the Celtics in 2024. Outside of them, De’Aaron Fox has one playoff series, that’s it for our top 10 players.

On the plus side, we have a generational talent that is continuing to grow (in talent, but some say he might be taller than he was last year), and the team around him is getting better too. I wrote earlier that I thought we would be happy with the 6th seed going into the year. What I didn’t see that had me setting the lower expectations was not only Victor Wembanyama still clinging to the possibility of hitting the 65 game mark, but that we now have a team around him that doesn’t crumble without him on the floor. I believe we are 10-4 in games without him this season, although we were lucky that many of those came during a somewhat forgiving stretch.

Fox has been great, even though it seems like we are keeping his usage a bit lower than he deserves. He hasn’t been getting near the credit he deserves from Spurs fans, which I hope is due to the excitement of our younger core, I can also be guilty of this. I’m glad he got the all-star nod even if there were arguments for other replacements.

Stephon Castle has taken a nice leap. His 3% hasn’t increased much, but I’m more confident in the attempts than I was last year. His playmaking continues to grow and he is probably the best lobber on the team. He’s also the best point-of-attack defender and has had some really nice putbacks. I believe he is deserving of an All-Defensive Team selection. I see him and Amen Thompson as very comparable players. Castle is a better shooter and maybe slight edge in playmaking, while Thompson still has the advantage on defense and rebounding.

Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson have both adjusted their games to become really useful to us. Vassell as a spark plug on offense, and Keldon as a battery and battering ram. Vassell has had a really good shooting stretch. In a 5 game stretch from 2/23-3/3 he averaged 5 3PMs on 62.5%. Johnson is still in the running for 6MOY, although I think the chances have chilled slightly post all star break.

AK: San Antonio appears so deep right now and is seemingly getting contributions from everyone. Besides playoff experience, what do the Spurs need to get to the next level moving forward? Is internal development enough or do you see the Spurs making a splash in free agency in Wemby’s last rookie contract season? (Note: The Spurs will have something around $35-40 million in space under the first apron this summer)

Blaine: Along with the guys above, Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant are also exciting looks into the future while providing valuable play. Harper plays with a veteran’s level of change of pace and shows real flashes of something special, while Bryant has recently shown flashes of becoming a great 3&D player. They are clear parts of the future so some care needs to be taken that we have money available for them when the time comes.

Kornet is the final player I feel sure will be around for the next 3 years. He’s been a really great back up big, even if it doesn’t always show up in the box score. He does so many of the little things that allow the team to be successful.

Barnes has been a solid vet and has gone through stretches of being a really important floor stretcher for us. Unfortunately, his ironman streak of 364 straight regular season games played was snapped due to a sore ankle, his 3% has dropped over 5% from last year, Bryant is showing growth, and his current contract is too big and runs out at the end of the year. He’d be great to have back, but I don’t know that he would or should take the cut needed for us to make it happen.

Julian Champagnie is currently on one of the best contracts (non-rookie or superstar-on-max edition). We have a team option, but I’m sure we will try to renegotiate for a longer deal while trying to keep it somewhat team friendly.

Looking into next year, we have Atlanta’s pick that will likely be a lottery pick. Depending on where that pick falls could determine if we feel like we luck into another rotational piece or if we use it to package for a different piece or future pick. Looking over a list of upcoming FAs, the number of good fits that I think have a ok chance of moving are fairly slim. Rui Hachimura and John Collins are maybe the best options which aren’t the flashiest moves. Therefore, I think our best chance at a big swing would be to sign and trade Barnes packaged with ATL’s pick. A bigger swing would have to include Vassell or Johnson that, as I’ve stated, have been playing well this season and could be considered the hearts of the team, especially Keldon on the latter.

I think it is more likely that we try to make a Barnes deal work, while extending Wemby and Champagnie.

AK: Fill in the blank: The Spurs are winning a title in the next _____ years.

Blaine: When Tim Duncan retired, I said with full sincerity that I would be satisfied as a fan if we never won another because of the 5 rings he brought to my favorite team, and asking for anything further would be greedy. Well, the 3rd lucky pick of a ping pong ball that gave me a generation big to watch has me feeling like Scrooge McDuck. I stated earlier in the year that I’m still not a big fan of the Cup. Players get more money, good for them, but for me as a fan, I’m not ready to give this midseason tournament any prestige. That being said, it was great for us this year. The OKC and New York Knicks games had a solid playoff-like atmosphere that gives the young core at least a small feel of what to expect come playoffs. I’m trying hard to keep my expectations tempered. Injuries happen, guys playing well lead to them earning contracts that break teams apart, teams struggle at the wrong time, and opposing teams have the opposite happen at the right time for them. We aren’t here for that though, and I’m not backing down from your challenge to actually answer this question that I usually talk my way around. Spurs in 3. Maybe we get lucky this year, we have been playing really well. If we make it to the conference finals this year, I think we can rebound and make it through the next. If we flame out early, I think we do whatever we need to to make it work in the 3rd. There, you got me to say it. You happy?

AK: What are your thoughts on the Rockets as an outsider?

Blaine: Before the injuries, I really thought this could be y’all’s year. I’ve been telling you since the start of the year that I think y’all are a bad matchup for us. Wemby has more difficulty with Alperen Sengun’s offensive timing, Kevin Durant is still a bucket, Jabari Smith Jr. gives y’all extra size, and I remain a big fan of both Amen and Reed Sheppard. 

AK: Got any fun tidbits I didn’t ask?

Blaine: Just for fun, Spurs have some pretty good duo names. Ex Area 51 (Wemby/Castle), Pineapple Express (Castle/Vassell), Slash Bros (Castle/Harper), French Vanilla (Wemby/Kornet), White Castle (Castle/Kornet). Do the Rockets have any fun nicknames?

Also, current situation of Wemby chasing Dream’s block record:

Current Pace (3.48) 936 games to overtake (14.4 65 game seasons)

Wemby 1st 3 seasons: 166 games, 577 blocks, 3.48 BPG

Hakeem 1st 3 seasons: 225 games, 705 blocks, 3.13 BPG

Hakeem in 1st 166 games: 501 blocks, 3.02 BPG

Wemby age now 22 years 62 days

Hakeem age first nba game 21 years 280 days

Tip-off

7pm CT

How To Watch

Peacock/NBC

Injury Report

Rockets

Steven Adams: OUT

Fred VanVleet: OUT

Jae’Sean Tate: OUT

Spurs

Harrison Barnes: OUT

Mason Plumlee: OUT

David Jones Garcia: OUT

The Line (as of this post)

SA -4.5

Check here for updates

Looking ahead because we can

Tuesday night at home against the Toronto Raptors

When the Houston Rockets took a 77-50 lead into the half against the Sacramento kings on Wednesday night, anyone who thought to themselves, “It’s over.” hasn’t watched Rockets basketball this season. Undoubtedly, you yourself may have has some reservations about switching over to your favorite Netflix show and calling it a night. Those reservations were briefly justified when the Kings started the second half on a 13-2 run, prompting Ime Udoka to call a time out, just few minutes into the quarter.

Udoka has seen what we have all seen before. A tale of two halves. To his credit, he pressed the right buttons and kept with the right combination of players that kept the offense from suddenly becoming stagnant. Alperen Sengun (26-point triple-double), Kevin Durant (21 points on 62 percent shooting), and Reed Sheppard (28 points on 43 percent from the three-point line) really powered the Rockets offensively, along with a much welcomed showing from Josh Okogie who shot an efficient 5-of-7 from the field, of which three of those shots were from behind the arc.

With Amen Thompson out with an apparent quad injury, Aaron Holiday got some run and not only shot well but gave the Rockets another ball handler that was able to help keep the ball movement crisp. Jabari Smith had 12 points on 6-of-12 from the field and even “Uncle Jeff” Green got some run in this game chipping in 5 points. It was a complete team victory over a bad Sacramento Kings team. However, given some of the issues the Rockets have had in these types of games, including against these very Kings, this win is not something to shake a stick at. In fact, Rockets fans hope it’s a sign that this team is on track to no longer struggle to win these types of games against lesser opponents.

If the Rockets are going to achieve what we all hope they are going to achieve, then these types of games need to be automatic. It’s especially helpful that the main rotation was able to rest in the fourth quarter headed into the second game of a back-to-back, this time on the road in Orlando. Getting a home win is also a welcome sight as the Rockets had lost four of the last 7 home games. In the end, a win is a win, and the Rockets need to start stacking as many of those as possible, so tonight Rockets fans can go home happy.

Kawhi Leonard had 8 points going into the fourth quarter and the Los Angeles Clippers only trailed the Houston Rockets by six. Why were the Rockets only up by six when the Clippers best player had been put in check for three quarters? In large part it was the fact that going into the fourth quarter the Rockets had already committed 15 turnovers and had zero fast break points.

The Rockets would go on to finish the game with 21 turnovers that lead to 23 Clippers points. The Clippers also had 22 points in transition to the Rockets 2 fast break points. Oh, by the way, Kawhi Leonard finished the game with 27 points on 9-of-20 shooting, 19 of those points coming in the fourth. Though the Rockets led at one point by 15 points, their sloppy play allowed the Clippers to hang around while Kawhi was not playing well.

The Rockets flipped the script from the previous game against the Clippers just the night before. In that game they struggled early and picked it up in the second half. On Wednesday, the Rockets looked fantastic in the first half. Ball movement was crisp, they were making the extra pass, giving up the good shots for great ones, and pounding the Clippers on the boards. It was the typical formula the Rockets depend on when they are playing well and winning. Then in the third quarter the formula that comes back to bite them kicked in and it cost them.

The Rockets only scored 46 points in the second half, while giving up 59 to the Clips. Kevin Durant struggled for much of the game as the Los Angeles stayed crowded around them both. Early on it looked as if Reed Sheppard would be that spark off the bench that would push the Rockets over the top. However, after scoring 14 points in the first half, Sheppard finished the game with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting in 25 minutes on the floor. Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun finished with 21 points and 16 points respectively.

Jabari Smith had a strong stat line with 16 points and 12 rebounds on 6-of-12 shooting, but he missed two critical shots in the fourth quarter, one of them a wide open three-pointer from the corner in front of his own bench. Amen Thompson played 40 minutes and scored 12 points on eight shots and added 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

It was ultimately, once again, the Rockets inability to handle full or half court pressure and get into their offensive sets that cost them. Too many turnovers leading to too many points in the opposite direction and not enough opportunities to score themselves down the stretch, giving up 6 of their 21 turnovers in the fourth quarter. There is no doubt that until the Rockets figure this part out, their lack of movement before the trade deadline to add a veteran ball-handler will loom large.

All things being said, the Houston Rockets will head into the All-Star break with the fourth best record in the Western Conference. They boast two of the top 25 players in the league, and they do have a young core that is still developing and still learning how to play together and how to play with one of the greatest scorers of all-time in Kevin Durant.

I know that Rockets fans want more from this team. In fact, many of us expect more. Putting things in perspective though, the Rockets are in a good place and can still continue to improve and control their own destiny. Hopefully, this all-star break will give everyone time to step back, look at the big picture and realize that we are truly fortunate to not only have NBA basketball in H-Town but to have a team that is relevant and that garners our high- expectations. Enjoy the break TDS faithful! Let’s cheer hard for Reed in the Rising Stars game, and cheer for Alpi and KD in the all-star game. Let’s get everyone back healthy and get things in gear for a strong second half.

The Houston Rockets came into Thursday night’s game boasting the NBA’s best home record at 15-3. Early in the matchup against the Spurs it looked as if the Rockets would be cruising their way to a 16th home win. The Rockets shot nearly 50-percent from the field in the first half. The ball movement was crisp, the Rockets were getting good looks and knocking them down. At one point the Rockets led by 16 points.

The Rockets had gotten Victor Wembanyama into foul trouble, and he was forced to spend most of the third quarter on the bench with 4 fouls. Advantage Spurs. They scored 30 points in the third quarter outscoring the Rockets 30 to 24 trimming the Rockets lead to just two points going into the final period. All of the ball movement and player movement that served the Rockets so well in the first half disappeared as San Antonio’s defensive intensity picked up significantly, thanks in large part to the efforts of Stephon Castle, who spent time guarding Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant.

In the fourth quarter it all fell apart. The Rockets “offense” turned into looking around for Kevin Durant or Sengun to get themselves free to go one-on-five with the Spurs while the others either watched or turned the ball over. The Rockets did not score a single field goal in the fourth until 5:46 to go in the quarter. They would finish having only scored 13 points on 4 made shots from the field. The Rockets shot 28-percent in the second half, ending the game at 39.4 percent. The offensive struggles lead to poor effort on the defensive end. The Spurs finished the game with 72 points in the paint and 38 points off the bench.

Not a single Rockets starter was a positive plus/minus in the game. Alperen Sengun scored 18 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, but he had to work extra hard for all of it. Kevin Durant scored 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting but he also had trouble finding a rhythm in the fourth quarter along with all of his teammates. Amen Thompson was great for three quarters, and then the Spurs switched Wembanyama to his primary defender and he looked flustered and unsure how to respond. He finished with 25 points but only had 2 points in the final quarter.

Wembanyama ended up with 28 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots. Dylan Harper and Keldon Johnson both scored 16 and 17 points respectively. For the second time this season the San Antonio Spurs looked like the best team in Texas. The Rockets will continue to deal with the narrative of needing a veteran point guard in order to seriously compete for a NBA title this season, and this game will likely be submitted as evidence supporting that. The Rockets head to Atlanta to take on the Hawks on Friday night for the second game of this back-to-back.

The Rockets, the 76ers, and overtime. Three things that have been synonymous over the last couple of seasons. Unfortunately, the Rockets being on the road and losing has also become synonymous. Tonight, the Rockets got to experience all of the above. The Rockets got another brilliant performance from Kevin Durant who scored 36 points, 7 rebound and 3 assists on 13-of-21 shooting. The Rockets had five other players in double figures and shot the ball extremely well. If you didn’t watch the game,you may be wondering how the Rockets lost?

It starts with allowing the 76ers to shoot 55.1 percent from the field and score 66 points in the paint. The pick-and-roll with Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embid absolutely cooked the Rockets. Maxey score 36 points and dished out 10 assists in a game where he was getting to the middle of the defense and to the rim at will. Joel Embid scored one of the quietest 30+ point 15+ rebound triple-doubles I’ve seen in some time. Kelly Oubre Jr. also went unconscious offensively with 26 points on 10-of-14 from the field.

The game went back and forth throughout the game, each team taking a nine-point lead at one point, and each team going on a run to close the gap. Regardless of all the defensive lapses, miscues, and turnovers, the Rockets missed 12 free-throws in a game that they lost by sis points. The Rockets inability to focus at the line and make a free-throw is officially a concern. Other than Kevin Durant, no one has been good at the line. Those free-throws, if made, can make up for a lot of other things any given night, but for the Rockets it’s becoming a glaring weakness.

Bright spots in the game were the play of Tari Eason, who seemed to be getting back into regular form, and Reed Sheppard coming up big in the fourth quarter, not only offensively but on the defensive end with steals and deflections. The Rockets had 35 bench points, Tari Eason with 13 of those points and Reed Sheppard with 14 points. Clint Capela added some quality defensive minutes off the bench and Dorian Finney-Smith went 2-0f-4 from the three-point line.

Fourth quarter execution, or the lack thereof, was once again the story for the Rockets, who honestly lost the game in regulation, but a goaltending was not called when Kevin Durant blocked a Tyrese Maxey layup after it hot the backboard. The basketball gods would preserve justice as the Rockets were only able to score 7 points in the overtime period.

Th loss puts the Rockets record at 26-16 as we move just past the midway point of the season. That record is good enough for 4th in the Western Conference, but the Rockets are 5-5 in their last 10 and just 3-11 on the road since the beginning of December. That will need to improve quickly. Hopefully, as soon as tomorrow when the Rockets take on the 1st seeded Detroit Pistons in Detroit. Traveling after a deflating overtime loss will make things more difficult, but if you’re a veteran fan of Houston sports then you know that making things difficult rather than easy is what we do. Check in with TDS tomorrow for a preview of the game against the Pistons, Rockets discussion during the game, and a post-game recap.

The Rockets offense had been putrid without Alperen Sengun in the lineup, so going into Sunday’s game against the Sacramento Kings, Rockets fans were hopeful his return to the lineup would set things right. It didn’t. The Rockets lost the game 111-98 after a second consecutive fourth quarter meltdown, allowing 33 points in the quarter and only scoring 22 points. The Kings came into the night having only won 8 games on the season, one of them being against the Rockets in overtime back on Dec 21st. Now, with 9 wins that the Rockets can take ownership of two of them.

The Rockets shot 42.9 percent from the field, an anemic 23.3 percent from the three-point line, and 65.5 percent from the free-throw line. As the game wore on the misses began to affect their effort on defense and the boards, especially in the fourth quarter where they shot 5-for-15, 1-for-6 from the arc, and missed six free throws. Meanwhile the combination of DeMar DeRozan, Zach Lavine, Russel Westbrook, and Malik Monk cooked the Rockets who only had 13-points off the bench compared to 34 bench points for the Kings.

The Kings beat the Rockets at their own game, outrebounding them 57-54 and grabbing 18 offensive boards, out hustling the Rockets to the 50/50 balls. It was an overall bad night for the Rockets. It’s not an overreaction to say that some of their bad habits are becoming a trend. Like losing games to bad teams. Everyone on the team has some culpability, but all eyes will and should be on Ime Udoka to turn things around. I’m not an NBA head coach, but I know starting Aaron Holiday, playing him 28 minutes, watching him go 1-for-7 in the game, watching the opposing team search him out on the defensive end, and looking up and seeing he was a -19 on the floor, might make me reconsider starting him when before Tari Eason’s most recent injury he was a consistent DNP coaches decision.

Alperen Sengun may have needed to shed some rust after missing 4 games with a right ankle sprain, an injury that is likely not 100% healed. He scored 19 points on 8-of-20 shots, grabbed 9 rebounds, dished 4 assists, and had 1 blocked shot. Jabari Smith Jr. continues to struggle offensively, and his body language has been concerning as well as the impact it has had on his defensive effort. Even Kevin Durant had what is by his standard a sub-par game. He still shot 50 percent from the floor, 44.4 percent from the three-point line, but only got up 18 shots on a night his offense was about the only offense the Rockets had.

It’s a bad stretch for the Rockets who have become a bad road team. Since the beginning of December, they have won only 3-of-13 road games. On the flip side, in that same time span they have yet to lose at home. There is the silver lining, at least that is the hope of Rockets fans as the team returns to Houston for a five game homestand, and will play eight of the next eleven games at Toyota Center. As always TDS will be here for pregame and post-game coverage, as well as interactive discussion during the games. The Rockets return to action on Tuesday against the Bulls. Tip-off will be at 7:00 PM CST.

For the second consecutive game the Houston Rockets lose in a heartbreaker to the Portland Trail Blazers. This time it wasn’t a last second tip in being wiped away because of not getting off the fingertips in time. It was the Rockets not being able to hit the broad side of a spaceship in the fourth quarter, after building up a 13-point lead at the end of the third quarter.

The game stayed close throughout the first half. The Rockets led by one at the half. Early in the third quarter Tari Eason would leave the game with a sprained ankle and he would not return. However, that would not stop the Rockets from dropping 34 in the quarter on 13-of-24 shooting, hitting 7-of-13 from the three-point line, while holding the Blazers to 22 points. In the third quarter Reed Sheppard seemed as if he was getting back to form, Durant was getting buckets as always, and the defense was leading to points in transition with Amen Thompson and Josh Okogie.

In the fourth quarter, everything changed. The Rockets made six shots in the quarter, were 2-of-4 from the free-throw line and 1-of-17 from the three-point line. No one could hit a shot, but one player stood out more than anyone due to his continuing cold streak. Jabari Smith was horrible. There’s no other way to put it. Not only could he not make a shot, but he was getting cooked on the defensive end of the floor. Jabari had nearly as many fouls as shots made, including a brutal foul on a three-point attempt by Sidy Cissko, a career 29-percent three-point shooter. In his defense, Cissoko was 2-for-2 in this game and is shooting 32-percent on the season, but still it was a crucial mistake to foul the jump-shooter.

The Trail Blazers on the other hand scored 34 themselves in the final quarter despite their best player struggling from the field all game. The Blazers shot 10-of-19 and hit 11-of-11 from the stripe. They played team basketball. Though Deni Avdija shot 5-0f-15 he had 6 assists and 2 other Blazers scored 20+ points and Caleb Love added 18 points off the bench. They had 26 assists to the Rockets’ 21, and they shot 91.3 percent from the free-throw line. They did everything better when it mattered most. The loss takes some of the shine off of an incredible personal milestone for Kevin Durant, who scored 30 points and passed Wilt Chamberlain on the all-time NBA scoring list. He is now 7th behind Dirk Nowitzki.

It’s easy to point to the Rockets injuries as an excuse and it’s clear that the Rockets offense is struggling without Alperen Sengun, and Tari Eason being out hurt the team, but this was yet another disappoint effort by the Rockets on the road against an inferior opponent who is dealing with injuries of their own. In this crowded Western Conference, a bad week can be the difference between being a top four team and hovering around the play-in. Especially now that Sengun is and will be out for some time, the calls for playmaking help via the trade market are sure to only get louder.

On Sunday Rockets will face the Kings in Sacramento, where they most recently lost 125-124 in overtime. The Rockets will be hoping to get their “get-back” and end this stretch of road games with something positive before returning back home for a five-game home-stand. As always, we will be right here for all your pregame and post-game coverage as well as discussion during the games.

Moments like the end of this game are why a team trades for Kevin Durant, soon to be the 6th highest scoring player in NBA history. A contested, almost double-teamed, 3pt shot with time running out. Not a good shot, but a pure one, nothing but net. Nothing but net after Durant had almost nothing but misses from three point range previously. He ended up 2-12 from deep. Maybe if he’d shot his season average of 43% the Rockets wouldn’t have been in this position. But they were, and Durant cashed the shot for the win.

This game wasn’t pretty. It showed those watching a number of things, though.

One is, the Rockets really, really, miss Alperen Sengun. It turns out 22pts/9rbs/6.5ast/1.5stl/1blk is hand to replace. A team can’t, it is evident, simply plug Steven Adams into that role and expect the same results. For all the many abilities of “The Funaki Kid” he’s not Alperen Sengun with the ball in his hands.

Two, the Rockets held a team under 100 points. True that team had played the night before in OKC, and had a delayed flight to Houston. On the other hand, the Suns won their matchup against the Thunder.

Three, the Rockets clutch offense, as has been discussed here lately, looks like crap. Yes, they won, but let me highlight some late game moments.

The Rockets had been down as many as 13pts in the third quarter. In the fourth, partly through good defense, energy and some decisive attacks from Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith finding his shot, and maybe the Suns running low on energy, the Rockets took a 94-87 lead with 6:04 remaining. Here are the next few possessions.

5:41 – Durant Bad Pass Turnover

5:25 Suns Turnover

5:03 Durant Miss

4:45 Booker 2pt fall away make. – 94-89

4:25 Amen Thompson Travel Turnover

4:16 Booker miss, Suns offensive rebound, Royce O’Neill miss, Shot Clock Turnover (very good defense by the Rockets)

3:35 Adams called for foul on Booker attempt. Booker makes first FT. Misses 2nd. Suns offensive rebound. Booker 3pt make. 94-93 Rockets lead.

3:04 Rockets timeout – The Rockets need to get a play called, or organize some offense. In any case, they call timeout, after the Suns scored the last six points.

Post Timeout – Rockets lineup for inbounds. Timeout Suns.

3:04 – After two consecutive timeouts to get their play set, the Rocket try to force a pass into Kevin Durant, guess where? That’s right, at the top of the arc. Amen Thompson turnover.

2:54 Dillon Brooks fall away jumper make off the Rockets inbounds post timeout turnover, 95-94 Suns lead.

Let’s consider those last actions. The Rockets could not inbound the ball at midcourt after not one, but two consecutive timeouts. Did anyone in the building or who watches the Rockets often, think the Rockets would attempt something, anything, else? If they did, they were wrong. Houston surrendered their lead because the Suns jumped the pass the former Rockets, Brooks, knew was coming.

Booker would make two more free throws, after a pretty grifty drive at 2:12. At 1:59 Amen Thompson would make a 2ft shot and get a foul call to tie the game. Amen would then miss what looked like a gimme, after a spectacular move at 40.4 seconds left.

With the game tied, and some more spectacular defense from the Rockets, getting another shot clock violation on the Suns, came the Suns game winning attempt from who else, Booker. Credit here to Tari Eason who defended Devin Booker perfectly as he dribbled away the clock in Hardenesque fashion. Booker, with the seconds ticking down, drove at Tari, only he wasn’t rewarded with a foul. Booker shot a 20ft fade away with the clock running down, but Eason stayed out of Booker’s “Grift Radius” when he drives his shoulder or body into contact with a retreating defender and immediately shoots something resembling a basketball shot attempt. Moreover, Tari not only fell back from the foul drawing attempt, he then challenged the ensuing shot without fouling Booker. He didn’t foul Booker so much that even Devin Booker couldn’t complain about the miss. He just missed.

5 seconds left. Rockets timeout. This time they DO get the ball to Durant, on the wing, rather than straight up on the 3pt arc. KD rises over two defenders (maybe one and a half), shoots, and it looked perfect the moment it left his hand. 100-97 Rockets.

The Suns still had life with 1.1 left, and a timeout. Josh Okogie breaks up the Suns inbounds pass and the game ends.

I’m happy for this victory, but the offense, when the going gets tough, still looks like crap. Moreover, it looks to have literally no ideas as to what to do besides “Kevin/Alpie/Amen SAVE US with something spectacular!”

Tonight, they got something spectacular, and got the win. On the bright side, the Rockets are 11-2 at home. They’ve played their other 20 games on the road. A careful look at NBA scheduling will reveal that this home/road imbalance must even out. The Rockets are in fact, due. Due some home games. But not anytime soon!

Stop here, avoid the rant.

The defense wasn’t the problem – they held the Suns to 37 points. In the second half. It should have been easy. It wasn’t, because the Rockets only scored 46 points in the second half.

I believe, despite nice looking offensive ratings and so forth, the Rockets utter destitution of ideas on offense, their brutally inept clutch execution, this Udokan offensive travesty, is going to be a problem, especially in the playoffs. Maybe it will be their downfall. Again. There’s no Jalen Green to blame this time. It’s the job of the coaches to make the opponent’s offense difficult, not their own team’s. The Rockets replaced Jalen Green with Kevin Durant and their clutch offense remains exactly the same as it was last season. They were fortunate to get this win. I’ll take it, and the ending was cool, but there was no need for a cool ending, if the Rockets could execute late game offense.