RSS Rockets Team Notes

[Houston Rockets]

Rockets biggest lineup is coming up short

It’s all about finding an edge.

That’s been the Rockets’ modus operandi for a long time. There is seemingly an organizational impetus to identify a statistical area and lean (almost) absurdly hard into it.

Teams are shooting more threes? Cool. We’re going to shoot way more threes. We’re going to shoot so many threes that we’re widely accused of ruining basketball.

What’s that? We’ve missed 26 in a row? Cool:

Let’s shoot another.

That didn’t work? Well, there’s this concept called “tanking”. Unfortunately (for us), the lottery odds have been flattened. You can’t just tank one season and land a generational player anymore, unless you’re the Spurs, who have a direct line to Fortuna. For us regular shmucks, tanking will take multiple seasons. So let’s tank for multiple seasons. We’ll tank so hard that we’re widely accused of ruining basketball.

We love being widely accused of ruining basketball.

The tank is over? Cool! Offensive rebounds. We’re going to do whatever needs to be done to utterly dominate the offensive glass. We’re going to play twin big lineups, even if they went out of fashion with the videocassette recorder.

Not of which is meant to be a critique. All of these strategies have been defensible. The team’s newfound emphasis on offensive rebounding has yielded results:

But the lineup designed to emphasize it the most has been subpar.

Rockets big lineup is a net neutral​

Per CleaningTheGlass, Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun, and Steven Adams are precisely 0.0 when they share the floor.

Ah, good old 0.0. Not too high, not too low. It’s a sweet spot if your metric is, say, mental well-being. In basketball, it’s what we call “mediocre”.

Specifically, it lands in the 41st percentile. The lineup’s 48.8% Offensive Rebounding percentage predictably lands in the 99th percentile, but its 45.9 Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%) lands in the first. The very first percentile.

Thought experiment: Assemble five seven-footers. Maybe one of them is eight-feet tall – there’s your big. None of them has played basketball before (a puzzling decision), but each has NBA-level strength. Spent some time teaching them to rebound and put them on an NBA court. What would happen?

They’d probably land in the 99th percentile in offensive rebounds, and the 1st percentile in eFG%, right?

Maybe not. Here’s the point: Securing extra possessions doesn’t count for much if you can’t put the ball in the basket.

Should the Rockets abandon the twin towers?

Rockets need to keep tinkering​

Take Durant and Smith Jr. out of that lineup and add Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason, and the Rockets are +54.6. That’s fantastic, but that lineup has played just 46 possessions compared to the 136 the prior group has played together.

That’s low volume, but it is intriguing. If nothing else, it’s evidence that the double big lineups have a place. By replacing Smith Jr. with Eason, the Rockets are (unfathomably) leaning even further into offensive rebounding, although the 30.0% Offensive Rebounding Percentage doesn’t tell that story. Let’s chalk that up to sample size noise.

Macro lens: The Rockets’ 40.8% Offensive Rebounding Percentage ranks first in the NBA by a landslide. Whether they’re playing double bigs or not, they’ve established their “edge”. However they go about dominating the glass, it’s something they should continue doing.

Perhaps it’s just not viable to run Thompson at the point with the two bigs in the frontcourt. Sengun’s three-point shooting has been a revelation this year, but a Karl-Anthony Towns he ain’t. Sengun is still most effective in the paint, which is the only area Thompson and Adams can do much of anything in.

That seems to mitigate any edge the Rockets gain from that lineup.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...hort-alperen-sengun-steven-adams-kevin-durant

 

[Houston Rockets]

Rockets Scrounge Out Win Over Clippers 115-113

The Los Angeles Clippers aren’t a young team. The ages of their starting lineup tonight were – 36, 31, 34, 28, 28. The key bench players are considerably older. They hadn’t played basketball since Saturday the 6th. The Rockets last played Monday. The rest seemed to make the Rockets sluggish and careless, while it appeared to put a real spring into the step of James Harden and Kawhi Leonard.

Aside from the Rockets turning over the ball in unproductive* ways for much of the night, and being unable to assemble coherent offense for more than four minutes at a time, this was really a game of defensive strategy. I’d suggest we actually saw the good Clippers team that so many pundits predicted tonight. They were well rested, Kawhi was playing and not off planting trees or something, so this was basically an ideal unit for LAC, minus a couple of injuries (and the Rockets had their own).

Each team rolled out a defensive strategy to stymie the other. I’d argue they both worked out fairly well.

The Rockets choose to help very aggressively on Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. This lead to a huge night from spring chicken (28) Ivica Zubac who almost didn’t miss – 13/14 shooting, 7-11 from the line, for 32 highly efficient points. It lead to open three from Kris Dunn that he made at a decent rate. It did not lead to offensive explosions from Leonard and Harden. Leonard scored 24, but on 9-24 shooting. Harden notched 22pts on 7-18, and got worse as the game wore on. He had 7 assists, but also 4 turnovers as the Rockets attacked his dribble fairly often. AK (of preview fame) pointed out that Harden still hasn’t broken 30pts against the Rockets.

The Clippers on the other hand choose to send help from everywhere onto Kevin Durant, and also help to whomever was trying to initiate from the top of the three point line. The had the effect of slowing down both Durant, Sengun, and anyone else who wanted to drive or initiate from the top of the arc. They also used the old tried and true “Pack the paint, see if they can shoot.” In general, for most of the night, the Rockets couldn’t. The most open “kicks” on drive and kick were often not the shooter you’d want. Amen Thompson had a good game, but was 0-3 on wide open corner threes. He’d have been 8-9 with no threes, as he was dunking and doing “Amen Things” like hanging in midair, changing his shot, other times.

I’ve been critical of Thompson’s point guarding in other games. Not tonight. He was excellent in that regard, notching 8 assists to 1 turnover, and 9 rbs.

Sengun was the difference late, in particular a driving 360 degree spin and flip at the basket over Zubac, when Sengun seemed annoyed at what amounted to constant contact from Zubac on all Sengun attempts, pretty much. Alpie was the Rockets high scorer with 22 points on 9-22 shooting, and also 0-3 from three point range.

Kevin Durant, doubled, even triple, teamed all night had a rough outing, and missed shots you’d expect him to make. He was 5-14 with 5 turnovers, but most of the bad was in the first half, and most of the good in the second. How he only shot 3 FTs tonight is something only Mark Lindsay knows.

(To say this wasn’t quite the sort of refereeing effort that should send a referee to the Finals, would be a kindness to Mark Lindsay who called a painful, baffling, inconsistent game.)

Jabari Smith fouled out, and somehow neither Kris Dunn nor Ivica Zubac did. He did grab a lot of boards, and when wasn’t reverting to ducking out of shooting over opponents into bad drives, he played very well. His handle is much improved, but not improved enough to dribble around Kawhi Leonard.

The Rockets shooting was off, but eventually climbed to 35% from three after being in the low to mid 20s much of the game. Reed Sheppard continues to make threes at a rate that suggests more shots, but more shots have not appeared. This looked like a good game from Aaron Holiday, and in some ways it was, but there were also stretches where he single handedly shut off all possibility of good offense. The return of Tari Eason might hopefully mean a bit less of Aaron Holiday, who is very much overstretched in the role of primary initiator/scorer which he is sometimes handed. The Clippers targeted both Holiday and Sheppard on screens, but got the better of Holiday more often. Sheppard’s one real defensive gamble was one I approved of – an attempt to steal a floated pass that would have lead to an easy layup.

This game was close, but in the end, despite seemingly endless stoppages, timeouts and challenges in the last minute of the game, the Rockets eked it out.

Tonight marked the end of playback.tv and the Houston Rockets. Goodbye Playback, you were great while you lasted.

• I’d argue there ARE productive turnovers – basically attacks and passes that seemed like good ideas but were unlucky for some reason. Dribbling off your foot, or getting stripped of the ball driving into two defenders, then turning away, right into the hands of a trapping defensive helper, over and over, is not a productive turnover.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rockets-analysis/37198/rockets-scrouge-out-win-over-clippers-115-113

 

[Houston Rockets]

Clippy Visits Houston

He’s back! Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Clippers​

Friday, December 11, 2025​

Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

TV: Space City Home Network

Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790

Online: Rockets App

Gametime: 7:00 PM CST

Probable Starting Lineups​

Rockets: A. Thompson, Josh Okogie, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun

Clippers: James “The System” Harden, Kris “He’s” Dunn, Kawhi “The Extortionist” Leonard, John “Vodka” Collins, Ivica “I Want To See The” Zubac

The Clippers are nearly at full strength. The Rockets are of course missing the usual suspects, Tari Eason, Definitely Fictional Signing, and FVV

It’s Farewell to Playback tonight, so join us at playback.tv/nbalatenet to watch the Rockets, say goodbye, and talk about what, if anything, comes next.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rockets-scores-results/37194/37194

 

[Houston Rockets]

Three Rockets rank in ESPN’s top 25 players under 25

Every season, ESPN.com puts out an article ranking the best 25 players who are under 25 years old. To nobody’s surprise for the second consecutive year, Spur’s player Victor Wembenyama ranks number one, but what is more interesting is that the Rockets have three players of their own on the list: center Alperen Sengun, guard-forward Amen Thompson, and point guard Reed Sheppard.

Alperen Sengun #5​

After rising up 10 spots from last year’s ranking, one may argue that Sengun is the most promising player on this list, aside from Wembanyama. Sengun’s playmaking and better efficiency from deep have been key factors, even if his points per game went from 19.1 to 23.0. He is shooting 36.4% from outside the arc and averaging a career-high 7.0 assists (up from 4.9).

“Sengun needs to improve his midrange consistency in order to advance. Sengun’s shooting percentage is below 40% from 10 feet out to just inside the 3-point line. In terms of shooting % within four feet of the hoop, he is likewise in the lowest half among big men,” says Marks from ESPN

Amen Thompson #6​

Amen Thompson rose from spot #22 all the way to spot #6. As an exceptional two-way player, Thompson is improving. He frequently takes on the most difficult perimeter assignment while applying a ton of pressure in the paint and creating chances for teammates. His free-throw percentage has increased to 81%, up more than 12% from the previous season, and he has handled greater usage thus far with Fred VanVleet out.

“Thompson needs to improve his long-range shooting (22% for his career) to advance. Although he hasn’t yet shown any noteworthy outcomes, Thompson has been more comfortable letting it fly this season. To reach his full potential, he still needs to work on his jumper, which will help him keep defenders from sagging off him and free up space for teammates when he’s off the ball. His shooting has long been a developmental focus, but his speed and size (6-7, 200) allow him to get into the paint nevertheless,” says Woo from ESPN.

Reed Sheppard #25​

Reed had the biggest jump, as last season he was not on the ESPN list at all. Sheppard spent the entirety of the previous season on the sidelines of coach Ime Udoka’s rotation after being selected No. 3 by a team that ended up hosting a first-round playoff series. However, Sheppard has been thrown into a major role in his second season due to the trade of Jalen Green and the unlucky ACL tear suffered by Fred VanVleet. And after a rough start, he has rapidly improved, becoming one of the league’s top high-volume 3-point shooters and a valuable complement to Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Alperen Sengun.

Sheppard must continue to gain confidence as a playmaker and ball handler and strengthen his defense if he is to advance. Sheppard’s defensive playmaking and scoring prowess in college made him an analytical star. Even though the 6-foot-2 guard will never be Gary Payton, if he can at least become a guy that teams can’t consistently pick on, it will significantly increase his ceiling when combined with his potent offensive ability,” Bontemps from ESPN says

It is clear that Houston has an outstanding young core because in additon to Thompson, Sengun, and Sheppard, they also have Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr. who weren’t mentioned.

Houston takes on Denver on Monday to begin a six-game road trip. You can watch the game on Space City Home Network or NBA League Pass. As always, be on the lookout for pre- and post-game content here at the Dreamshake.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...layers-under-25-alperen-sengfun-amen-thompson

 

[Houston Rockets]

SB Nation Reacts results: Who has been the most valuable Rockets player?

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Rockets fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

This week, we asked you to select a Rockets MVP. There’s been a lot of good performances for the team so far as they stand at 16-6, but the best two players on the year are no doubt Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant.

Sengun is averaging career-highs in multiple categories, including 23.0 points, 7 assists, 1.5 steals, 1 block, and 36.4 percent from deep. He’s also adding 9.4 boards 49.9 percent shooting from the field.

Durant has averaged 24.8 point this season. He’s been a catalyst for Houston’s offense to take the next step into elite. He’s also averaging 4.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1 steal, 49.9 percent from the field, and 39.6 percent from deep.

Which one did Rockets fans pick as their MVP?

So a full two-thirds of voters are going with Sengun. It’s a vote that I agree with. While Durant’s averages look impressive, going in the context of who Durant is, he’s averaging his fewest points per game since his rookie season. It’s his worst shooting percentage since 2012. Sengun, on the other hand, is on the ascent. The 23-year-old still has several years to go before he’s even in his athletic prime. Sengun it is.

Thanks for voting. We’ll be back soon with more Reacts.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...on-rockets-player-alperen-sengun-kevin-durant

 

[Houston Rockets]

Houston Rockets vs. Denver Nuggets game preview

The Houston Rockets got absolutely hosed by the NBA Cup makeup game schedule.

Or at least, they didn’t make out like gangbusters like the Dallas Mavericks did. The Rockets got the Clippers (who, when their old bodies are given several days off, play much better than normal) and the Denver Nuggets (who are just awesome all the time) on the road in altitude.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks got the Nets for what will be a third time this season and the Jazz. Some teams get all the luck.

Obviously, the key matchup tonight will be Nikola Jokic against Alperen Sengun. In their matchup in Houston, Sengun seemed to try to hard to make things happen and was poor for most of the night. It felt like Jokic wasn’t incredible, but he finished with 34/10/9 so I guess not allowing a triple double to the dude is a success? Jamal Murray cooked Houston as usual, as did Tim Hardaway Jr. off the bench (though I guess 5/11 from the field isn’t up to his standard “eviscerates Houston by making every shot” approach). Spencer Jones also came off the bench to provide fouls and a key three-pointer in the game.

Tip-off​

8:30pm CT

How To Watch​

Space City Home Network and Peacock

Injury Report​

Rockets​

Tari Eason: GTD (leg)

Dorian Finney-Smith: OUT (ankle)

Nuggets​

Aaron Gordon: OUT

Christian Braun: OUT

Julian Strawther: GTD

The Line (as of this post)​

DEN -1.5

Check here for updates

Looking ahead because we can​

Thursday night on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...ouston-rockets-vs-denver-nuggets-game-preview

 

[Houston Rockets]

Why David Fizdale’s analysis of Rockets Amen Thompson is misleading

Over the weekend, former Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale sought to give Houston Rockets two-way standout Amen Thompson his flowers.

Understandably so, as Thompson hasn’t been necessarily having a consistent season. Up-and-down would be the best way to coin it.

It’s not entirely on him. The point guard experiment has been….well….an experiment.

And experience.

Houston could clearly use a viable point guard. Thompson is a makeshift point guard by force.

Having court vision doesn’t make you a facilitator. At least not a primary one.

Which is why we continue to see speculation that the Rockets will add a legitimate point guard.

(Their options are limited, though).

Fizdale thinks such a move would be unwise, as Thompson is a “beast” of a point guard, as he put it on NBA TV’s The Association.

Fizdale said even more.

“They’ve got a beast of one (a point guard). What are we talking about? Look at what the guy is doing. He is running the team like he’s been doing it for a while. Which he has, by the way. I keep telling everybody that he did in high school, and he came from OTE (Overtime Elite). He did it there.”

Let’s first note the difference in competition between the NBA and OTE.

Anyone who has watched the Rockets this season has noticed that Thompson is best suited off-ball. He’s at his best when cutting to the basket and slashing.

Not standing at the top of the key or behind the 3-point line.

Inverted pick-and-roll actions, which we’ve seen the Rockets do more recently, using Thompson as a screener.

In Fizdale’s assessment of how great of a point guard Thompson is, he contradicted himself a bit, and explained the best way to use Thompson (which is off-ball).

“The beauty of what they do in the halfcourt is they give the ball to KD to handle, or (Alperen) Sengun to handle, and they put him (Thompson) on the baseline. And every time you trap one of those guys, they hit that short roll, and he’s at the rim.”

Not exactly how a traditional point guard is used.

But again, a correct assessment.

In general, Thompson is a two-way beast, when used correctly. But as a point guard, he’s a work in progress.

Which is also okay to say.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...f-houston-rockets-amen-thompson-is-misleading

 

[Houston Rockets]

Rockets Roll Into Denver To Face Nuggets (Part 1)

Rockets Go To Denver For The First Time This WeekMandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Houston Rockets vs Denver Nuggets​

Moday, December 15, 2025​

Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

TV: Space City Home Network

Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790

Online: Rockets App

Gametime: 7:00 PM CST

Probable Starting Lineups​

Rockets: A. Thompson, Josh Okogie, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun

Nuglets: Jamal Murry, Cam Johnson, Spencer Jones, Peyton Watson, Nikola Jokic

The Rockets are in Denver again. And thanks to The Magic of The Cup, they will be in Denver again, Saturday. Three homes games for Denver against Houston so far feels excessive.

Tari Eason remains out for the Rockets. Aaron Gordon and Christian Von Braun are out for the Nuggies.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...ckets-roll-into-denver-to-face-nuggets-part-1

 

[Houston Rockets]

VOTE: Which Rockets player is most likely to be traded?

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Rockets fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Well, December is here. It’s coming into NBA trade season. The deadline is February 5, so we’re already less than two months away it. The Rockets are mostly playing well, sitting in the fifth spot out west with a 16-7 record. They’re not perfect, however. A true point guard is still a huge need. They also seem to be in a perpetual need for shooting. That might change when Dorian Finney-Smith and Tari Eason return, but the team certainly needs a little more long-range action to make them as flexible as possible when the postseason matchups arrive.

Houston has several pieces to offer up in a potential deal. They also have plenty of draft picks to offer if it comes to that, but for now, we’re focusing just on players.

The Rockets have two expiring contracts in Tari Eason and Fred VanVleet. Eason reportedly turned down a big extension offer from the Rockets to instead bet on himself, only to get injured yet again, missing significant time for the third time in four seasons. He seems like a logical trade option on the surface with his $5.7 million cap number. What are the potential options at that salary level, however? The Rockets are up against the first apron, so they can’t take on any salary. Is there a game changer available at that price level? Do other teams trust Eason to stay healthy?

VanVleet has an expiring $25 million contract. But he also essentially has a no-trade clause in his deal. That doesn’t mean a deal is impossible, just that Fred would have to sign off. That number buys you a much better player, but it would have to be somewhere Fred wanst to go.

Alperen Sengun has been named as a potential trade piece for Giannis Antetokounmpo. I wouldn’t make that deal if I’m Rafael Stone, but the NBA is a superstar league, and Giannis is certainly one of those. Stranger things have definitely happened, and if Stone wants to go all-in over the next two, three seasons, all bets are off.

Reed Sheppard is still on his rookie-scale deal, and although he’s been looking good lately and the Rockets are really high on him, if a legit true point guard becomes available, the Rockets might have to take a swing.

Aaron Holiday is on a vet minimum, and Ime Udoka no doubt likes him as part of the “stay-ready” crew, but if they could get their hands on a floor-setter, he could be as good as gone, if even as salary filler.

Jabari Smith Jr. has been named a potential trade piece in the past. He just signed an extension, so he’s going to be hard to deal until the 2026 season. Not undoable, however. Just hard.

Out of this group, who’s most likely to go?

Cast your vote and tell us in the comments!

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...-traded-tari-eason-reed-sheppard-fredvanvleet

 

[Houston Rockets]

A closer look at Rockets season reveals something troubling

Though the Rockets are currently fifth in the Western Conference, they are still considered by most to be true title contenders, and rightfully so. They have the third-highest offensive rating in the NBA and the fifth-highest defensive rating. That is an excellent formula for success. Knowing how stacked the west is, it’s no surprise that one bad week can be the difference between being in the top three and being on the bubble for a play-in tournament.

The Rockets are nine games over .500, Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant are both having an All-Star caliber season, and the emergence of Reed Sheppard has been a more than welcome sight to Rockets fans. With all those things being the case, something just feels a little bit off, right? Why on earth can’t the Rockets seem to win a game against the “elite” teams in the league?

It’s only fair to point out that for all teams other than the OKC Thunder, it’s too early to know who will truly be elite by season’s end. That being said, as we approach Christmas, traditionally the designated time that the NBA season “truly begins” and the picture is being formed. What has been revealed so far is that the Houston Rockets are really good, but they are not great… not yet.

The Rockets are just 9-6 against Western Conference teams and 7-1 against the East, but it’s deeper than that. ClutchFans recently pointed out that when you peel back the layers of the Rockets 16-7 record, what you find is the Rockets win the games they are supposed to. 10-2 against teams under .500, 6-0 vs teams between .500 and .600 win percentage. However, the Rockets are 0-5 in games against teams with a .600 winning percentage.

Rockets record this season based on their opponent's winning percentage:

vs. Teams Under .500: 10-2 (both losses the 2nd game of a back-to-back)

vs. Teams Between .500 and .600: 6-0

vs. Teams .600 or better: 0-5

— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) December 16, 2025

It’s been frustrating as a fan and as someone who covers the team to see. Those five losses came at the hands of the OKC Thunder, Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, and the Denver Nuggets twice. For those of us who watched those games, it cannot be said that the Rockets are not on par with those teams when it comes to talent depth. The largest deficit in those five losses was 11 points to the Spurs. The margins have been tiny. What has been the difference in these games?

The Rockets late-game execution in those games has been abysmal. Silly fouls, careless turnovers, and in some cases, what appears to have been downright poor effort. In the NBA Cup losses to San Antonio and Denver, the Rockets got beaten at their own game on the offensive boards in the fourth quarter. In the season opener against the Thunder, missed free throws down the stretch made the difference. In the Pistons game, it was bad offensive spacing and turnovers, and as much as Rockets fans would love to blame the referees for the most recent Denver loss, and they were bad, the Rockets had opportunities to win that game as well if they would have executed better down the stretch offensively and defensively.

These issues begin and end with Alperen Sengun. While he boasts great clutch shooting percentages, in these critical games against the best in the west, he has had bad moments. Statistically, Alperen Sengun was a monster against the Nuggets on Monday… until you realize his 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists were good enough for the worst plus/minus (-6) of every player on the court that day. His four fouls in the fourth quarter were legit fouls, and they were lazy and silly fouls. Kevin Durant can’t be absolved from blame. While he has also made big shots in these games, but he has also made huge turnovers and missed a couple of free-throws that would have made the difference.

The good news is all of this is fixable. It just needs to get fixed. The Rockets will need to start winning some of these games. When the dust settles, all of the top Western Conference teams are going to be within a few games one another and head-to-head matches will surely factor in. Late game execution is something that comes with experience, and the positive is the Rockets have plenty of film on what not to do. The question is, can they figure it out with the players on the roster, or do they need help?

Count this writer as one who is optimistic that this team can get it together. Why am I optimistic? Well for one, I believe Ime Udoka will demand it. In addition to that, I know chemistry takes time, and the Rockets still have much to figure out. They haven’t even begun to have to work in the likes of a healthy Tari Eason or Dorian Finney-Smith. Lastly, I guess in reality I am a chronic optimist. I refuse to write this team off because of an early season trend of losing close games to really good teams and I don’t think you should either. It could be worse. We have seen worse. I think we should take a deep breath and reconvene at the All-Star Break, my beloved TDS faithful. Or… perhaps at the trade deadline?

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...-sengun-amen-thompson-reed-sheppard-ime-udoka

 

[Houston Rockets]

The Rockets should pick up the pace

A lot of Rockets fans just witnessed their first full, top-down rebuild.

Some of us have been here before.

When the Rockets’ geriatric Olajuwon/Barkley/Pippen trio finally got put to pasture, the team’s future was unclear. Had Steve Francis not rejected Vancouver (a beautiful city, as long as you’re not in the DTES), who knows what may have happened?

When he arrived in Space City, the future was crystallized. Cuttino Mobley was the cherry on top. The Rockets would build the league’s highest octane offense around a dynamic backcourt:

But Yao Ming had other plans.

The Rockets weren’t supposed to land the number one pick in 2002. They defied the lottery Gods when they still had dominion – the odds weren’t flattened yet, but the Rockets landed the first pick with the ninth-highest odds anyway.

The rest is history. Francis and Ming proved a suspect fit, so the Rockets flipped Francis and Mobley for Tracy McGrady. They built an outstanding roster around their star duo, and could have won an NBA title if not for untimely injuries.

Rockets fans got attached to a vision. Something better came along, and the organization smartly pivoted.

History has now repeated itself.

The tanking Rockets were going to be built around supreme athleticism. That was clear once they selected Jalen Green. The opportunity to grab roughly the most athletic person ever in Amen Thompson solidified the vision: This team was going to run:

But Alperen Sengun was the new Yao Ming.

No lottery luck needed. The Rockets wisely made a draft-day deal to acquire Sengun. He’s emerged as their best player, and the vision has changed. The Rockets have constructed a slower half-court attack around Sengun’s strengths. They even flipped Green for one of the very best half-court scorers in NBA history to bolster their plan of attack.

And that’s great! In the postseason, half-court offense always reigns supreme. The league’s best teams don’t cede transition opportunities willingly. The game slows down. It’s optimal to generate the bulk of your offense in half-court sets:

But are the Rockets taking it too far?

Rockets could stand to run​

As of this writing, the Rockets’ 97.26 pace ranks 28th in the NBA. Only the Celtics and Clippers play slower.

Sengun’s offensive approach isn’t the only reason the Rockets slow it down. As the league’s best offensive rebounding team, it behooves them to slow it down. Crashing the boards puts you in a less ideal position to defend transition, and the Rockets want to be set up to collect misses anyway.

Nobody is suggesting the Rockets overhaul their approach. The team’s third-ranked 121.4 Offensive Rating speaks for itself:

But there’s certainly room to tinker.

Firstly, the Rockets could be less committed to twin-towers lineups. Go ahead and scour CleaningTheGlass: You won’t find a double big lineup with meaningful floor time and a positive differential.

Frankly, I’d give Jabari Smith Jr. a bit more time at the 5. He’s playing 3% of his minutes there in 2025-26, which is a career low by far.

For those suffering PTSD (Piercey-Traumatic Stress Disorder): No, I don’t want to squeeze Sengun out.

The team can run with Sengun in the lineup. If he collects the board, he can leverage his floor vision to push the pace and make a quick outlet pass. When Thompson gets the board, Sengun is often near the halfcourt line by the time he’s dribbling anyway. Sengun defends further from the basket than an average big man, so that puts him in a position to receive transition passes.

Perhaps Tari Eason’s return will incentivize the Rockets to run. His 1.8% Steal Percentage is far below his career 2.9% mark. If Eason can get back to his terrorizing ways, it could create opportunities for Houston to push the pace.

Once more: This isn’t about changing everything. The Rockets are in good shape. Most of their strategic pillars are strong. If they could just bump that pace up from 28th to, say, 20th or so, they’ll be able to capitalize on their surplus of athletic players to generate some easy transition buckets:

Even if it’s not the primary source of their identity.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rockets-analysis/37269/the-houston-rockets-should-pick-up-the-pace

 

[Houston Rockets]

Houston Rockets vs. New Orleans Pelicans game preview

Thanks to a fun twist of fate, I’m in New Orleans and will be at tonight’s game. So if the Houston Rockets lose, you’ll know exactly who to blame.

The New Orleans Pelicans are 5-22 and dead last in the Western Conference. They’ve already traded their first round pick in next year’s draft for Derik Queen (who’s been good!), a deal that will probably haunt them this summer. Their other pick in that draft, Jeremiah Fears, has been fun but is still a rookie and needs time.

Basically, every Pelican outside of those rookies is on the trade block. Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones both have three years left on their deals, so any team that can snag them for a single first round pick and filler would probably feel like they got a steal. Saddiq Bey has been playing well and is much cheaper.

Lurking, of course, is the spectre of Zion Williamson, who has only played 11 games this season. The Pelicans are 2-9 in those games, with both of those wins coming against the Chicago Bulls. Just an interesting tidbit.

New Orleans is 28th in eFG% but grab offensive rebounds at a high rate (seventh in the league). Meanwhile, they allow the most efficient shooting to their opponents and don’t defensively rebound particularly well. Houston isn’t getting to the line as often as they did in the early season, but some regression was to be expected.

Tip-off​

7pm CT

How To Watch​

Space City Home Network

Injury Report​

Rockets​

Tari Eason: GTD (leg)

Dorian Finney-Smith: OUT (ankle)

Pelicans​

Dejounte Murray: OUT

The Line (as of this post)​

N/A

Check here for updates

Looking ahead because we can​

Saturday night on the road against the Denver Nuggets (again)

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...-rockets-vs-new-orleans-pelicans-game-preview

 

[Houston Rockets]

Rockets look to get back in the win column in NOLA vs the Pels

Houston Rockets vs New Orleans Pelicans​

December 18, 2025​

Location: Smoothie King Center – New Orleans, LA

TV: SCHN

Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790

Online: Rockets App, SCHN+

Gametime: 7:00 PM CST

Probable Starting Lineups​

Rockets: A. Thompson, Josh Okogie, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun

Pelicans: Trey Murphy III, Herbert Jones, Jeremiah Fears, Zion Williamson, Derik Queen

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...-zion-williamson-alperen-sengun-amen-thompson

 

[Houston Rockets]

Rockets blow a 25-point lead to the Pelicans and fall 133-128 in OT

In recent days the Rockets inability to execute down the stretch against the upper echelon of teams in the NBA has been well covered. The New Orleans Pelicans were 5-22 going into Thursday’s game in NOLA. They have young talented players, but they are nothing close to the “upper echelon” of teams. That didn’t stop the Rockets from doing the same things that caused them to lose their previous three games on the road.

The Rockets led 99-83 going into the fourth quarter after giving up 38 points in the third letting the Pelicans dwindle down what had been a 25-point lead to 16 points. It was a tale of two halves as the Pels had only scored 45 points in the first half. In addition to the Rockets allowing the Pelicans to shoot 50.5-percent from the field, including 68-percent in the second half alone, and sending New Orleans to the free-throw line 28 times, with them making 24 of those free-throws, the Houston Rockets looked as if they forgot how to play offensive basketball in the fourth quarter and overtime, where they scored 20 and 9 points respectively.

The familiar problem of offensive incoherence, lack of ball movement, players stating around and at times looking as if this team doesn’t even practice half-court offense. With the Pelicans taking the ball out of Kevin Durant’s hands down the stretch the Rockets looked lackadaisical on the week side, unable to take advantage of the 4-on-3 advantage. Their lack of aggressiveness and hesitance only led to turnovers and bad shots. The Rockets shot 42-percent in the second half and turned the ball over 18 times in the game, five of those coming in the 4th quarter. In contrast, the Pelicans got whatever they wanted in the second half, with Saddiq Bey and Trey Murphy III leading the way for them.

The Rockets were lazy offensively and defensively, but one of the biggest indictments of their play down the stretch was that Kevin Durant played 42 minutes and scored 32 points on only 15 shots Ime Udoka was unable to find any creative way to get him free and the rest of the team seemed too scared to try and go make a play. Don’t take my word for it, those were the words of Ime Udoka after the game. Kevin Durant said after the game that the Rockets second half was “not indicative of who we are.” Well Kevin, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it is kind of indicative of who this team has been in their disappointing losses, and it’s what’s beginning to make Rockets fans a bit uneasy.

We know this team is talented. Alperen Sengun nearly tallied his second double-double in as many games with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists. Yet for the second game in a row, he was a negative in the plus/minus category. Amen Thompson with 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists and yet was a -9 in the game. It’s not time to panic but lack of team execution down the stretch is a real concern that the team will need to figure out, or the calls for them to make a move will only grow louder and louder.

The Rockets have four games remaining on this road trip, starting with their second game in Denver this week, coming up on Saturday. They should be eager to get the bitter taste of their last two losses out of their mouths. We will be right here as always previewing the game, opening up the discussion to all of you during the game, and of course recapping after the fact. Happy Holidays to all of you TDS faithful! Let’s bounce back on Saturday.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...en-sengun-saddiq-bey-trey-murphy-amen-tompson

 

[Houston Rockets]

The fine was well worth the message for Rockets Ime Udoka

Ime Udoka is about as authentic as it gets. He doesn’t hold back.

Just ask Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, who Udoka told to stop bitching about officiating. Sure, it got him ejected, but the message was beyond worth the punishment.

Especially when considering the effect that it had on his Houston Rockets players. It let them know that their coach was going to ride for them, no matter what. Publicly.

The Rockets players were thinking the same thing as Udoka. They realized the whistle was titled in the Los Angeles Lakers’ favor, but they’ve been taught not to let officiating affect them.

(Not to mention a lot of them at that time were still on rookie deals and likely didn’t want to give money back to the league).

Fast forward two years. Well, fast forward to December 15th, 2025, in particular.

The Rockets were in a slug fest with the Denver Nuggets and had traded blows with them for several hours.

Houston led 117-116 with just two seconds left.

Then it happened.

The referees struck once again, although this time determining the outcome. Well, let’s just say influencing it.

A phantom foul was called on Amen Thompson towards Tim Hardaway Jr. The camera angle would determine whether many thought it was a foul (which means it wasn’t a foul).

Denver hit a free throw and won the game in overtime.

Afterwards, Udoka went no-holds-barred, unloading on the officiating. The Cliff Notes version of Udoka’s rant was that the game was “the most poorly officiated game he had seen in a long time”, two of the referees had no business being out there, and the crew chief was “acting star struck”.

The next day, the NBA released their last two minute report, noting that it was indeed an incorrect call on Thompson, in addition to two other calls in the waning moments of the game, that all went against the Rockets.

The NBA also dropped the hammer relatively quickly on Udoka, fining the Rockets coach $25,000.

As a side note, if they were in agreement with Udoka regarding the poor officiating, why fine him?

(And not to pocket watch, but what’s $25,000 for someone making $11 million annually?)

But the message was worth the punishment for Udoka. Again, he said exactly what the players (and even fans) were thinking.

And once again, the teams knows he’s going to ride for them and have their back, publicly, even if it leads to punishment (or a semblance of it) for Udoka. And that’s worth much more than the fine.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...rth-the-message-for-houston-rockets-ime-udoka

 

[Houston Rockets]

Houston Rockets vs. Denver Nuggets game preview

The six-game road trip from hell continues tonight. It’s “from hell” because it involved a game thrust onto the Houston Rockets at the list minute as a result of the NBA Cup schedule fixes (at Denver), followed by a flight back east to take on (and lose to) the New Orleans Pelicans. Then it’s a flight right back to Denver for today’s contest. And then finally, the three-game California road trip has not been kind to Ime Udoka and his Rockets during his tenure.

We just saw this game, so there isn’t much more to say. With a win, the Nuggets wrap up the tiebreaker over Houston. Nikola Jokic is still amazing. Jamal Murray is having a great early season and will probably make his first All-Star team. A random Nugget player will have a career night. And if the Nuggets desperately need a point late, Tim Hardaway Jr. can just trip over himself again.

Tip-off​

4pm CT

How To Watch​

Space City Home Network and NBA TV

Injury Report​

Rockets​

Tari Eason: GTD (leg)

Dorian Finney-Smith: OUT (ankle)

Nuggets​

Aaron Gordon: OUT

Christian Braun: OUT

The Line (as of this post)​

N/A

Check here for updates

Looking ahead because we can​

Tomorrow night on the road against the Sacramento Kings

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...ouston-rockets-vs-denver-nuggets-game-preview

 

[Houston Rockets]

Rockets granted $12.5M disabled player exception for Fred VanVleet

On Tuesday afternoon, Kelly Iko with Yahoo Sports announced that “the Houston Rockets were recently granted a $12.5 million Disabled Players Exemption for guard Fred VanVleet, who tore his right ACL prior to training camp, and despite the DPE (Disabled Player Exception), Houston is still hard-capped at the first apron.”

The Houston Rockets were recently granted a $12.5 million Disabled Players Exemption for guard Fred VanVleet, source told @YahooSports. VanVleet tore his right ACL prior to training camp.

Houston is still hard-capped at the first apron. https://t.co/Ve5ivJy40m

— Kelly Iko (@KellyIko) December 16, 2025

The Rockets expected Fred VanVleet to be their starting point guard, as he had been the previous two seasons. But in September, he tore his ACL, ending his season. Because of this, Ime Udoka, the head coach, had to be inventive with the lineup for 2025–2026. So far this season, Amen Thompson has started for Houston at point guard. Center Alperen Sengun leads the Rockets with 7.1 assists per game, and the team’s offense is much improved.

On October 27, the Rockets requested a disabled player exception as Fred VanVleet had finished his season. On Tuesday, December 16, NBA source Kelly Iko said that Houston has gotten a $12.5 million DPE for Fred VanVleet. According to Bobby Marks of ESPN, despite acquiring the DPE, the Rockets are still hard-capped at the first apron.

Prior to Houston’s trade to acquire Kevin Durant, Houston was linked to Giannis Antetokounmpo throughout the offseason. Antetokounmpo is not anticipated to be available to the Rockets this season, though.

Furthermore, Houston can only add players with veteran minimum contracts. With the squad they have put together, the team isn’t really flexible. In 2025–2026, Fred VanVleet’s $25 million salary was the Rockets’ third-highest. Additonally Fred Vanvleet, Jae’sean Tate, and Aaron Holiday all have implicit no trade clasues, which means they are extremely unlikely to be traded. The Rockets will continue to use the roster they built for 2025–2026 for the time being, as the group thinks they can compete in the West as currently constructed

Houston continues their long roadtrip with a game versus the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday at Smoothie King Arena with a 7:00 tip-off time. You can watch the game on Space City Home Network or NBA League Pass. As always, be on the lookout for pre- and post-game content here at the Dreamshake.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...m-disabled-player-exception-for-fred-vanvleet

 

[Houston Rockets]

Rockets bounce back in Denver; defeat the Nuggets 115-101

When Ime Udoka called the Rockets out for their embarrassing effort on defense in the overtime loss to New Orleans, it was a sure bet that the defensive effort would be anything but embarrassing. In fact, they responded by holding the highest scoring offense in the NBA to 40-percent shooting, and their lowest scoring output of the season. Meanwhile, the Rockets had one of their best shooting performances of the season. What that added up to was a 14-point win for the Rockets and getting off the hook for continuing to lose to elite competition.

The defense started off shaky in the first quarter, with the Rockets giving up 29 points in large part due to turnovers. After jumping out to an early 10-2 lead the Rockets turned the ball over t times before mid-way through quarter and the Nuggets quickly dropped the deficit to 14-12 before Ime Udoka immediately jumped off the bench and called time out. The Nuggets ended the quarter with 29 points on 54 percent shooting. However, the Rockets would follow up that effort by holding the Nuggets to their lowest scoring quarter of the season, 16 points on 31.5 percent shooting.

That defensive effort would set the tone for the remainder of the game, up until just over four minutes to go in the game, when Ime Udoka felt safe enough to begin pulling starters and bringing in the bottom of the bench. That’s when the Rockets began playing with their food a bit, and the Nuggets were able to reduce a 21-point lead to 10 points with just over two minutes to go, forcing Ime to bring starters back in. Ultimately, the Rockets pulled off an impressive win over an elite team. Granted the Nuggets were missing important players, but the same can be said of the Rockets, proving that depth is the name of the game.

Kevin Durant and Reed Sheppard were both impressive and impactful in this game. Reed dropped 28 points off the bench in 30 minutes of play. He shot 9-of-15 from the field, 6-of-9 from three, added 2 rebounds, 2 blocks, 3 steals and 6 assists. During his best stretch he scored 11 straight points. Most impressively, he only turned the ball over one time in 30 minutes on the floor Durant was determined to not let the Rockets have another let down as he was aggressive and efficient with 31 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists. Durant was in his bag and brought an edge to the Rockets that had been missing in the previous two meetings.

Alperen Sengun didn’t have the mega box score he had in the previous meeting, with only 8 points on 4-of-9 shooting, but unlike the last meeting he was a +24 on the floor. He and Stephen Adams held Nikola Jokic to a relatively subpar performance, at least by Joker standards. He finished with 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists, 5 fouls, and was a -20 on the floor.

The Rockets can put to rest for now they narrative that they are unable to beat teams .600 or better, but that won’t go away until they can do so consistently. Their next shot will come on Christmas day against Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers. Rockets fans will likely still be a little on edge until then, but don’t let it get in the way of your last minute Christmas shopping. If the Rockets are paying attention, all we want for Christmas is a three-game winning streak headed into that game. With Sacramento coming up tomorrow, and the Clippers on Tuesday, surely that isn’t too much to ask? We will be right here to cover it all, my TDS family. Go Rockets!

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rocke...engun-nikola-jokic-reed-sheppard-jamal-murray

 

[Houston Rockets]

Rocket To Contest With Kings On SEGBABA

Houston Rockets vs Denver Nuggets​

December 21, 2025​

Location: Golden 1 Center, Sacto, CA

TV: SCHN

Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790

Online: Rockets App, SCHN+

Gametime: 10:00 PM CST

Probable Starting Lineups​

Rockets: A. Thompson, Josh Okogie, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun

Kangz: Rustle Westbrook, Keon Ellis?/Malik Monk?, DeMar DeRozen, Keegs Murray, Frenchy Raynaud

The Rockets might see Tari’s Return tonight. Definitely Fictional Signing’s Endless Onramp looks to see him not play any basketball for the Rockets in 2025, but maybe 2026?

The Kings are missing Domatas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, Drew Eubanks, and Doughg MacDermott. This might make them a better team in some ways?

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rockets-game-threads/37380/rocket-to-contest-with-kings-on-segbaba

 

[Houston Rockets]

Rockets Fall To The Kings In OT 125-124

The Rockets lost in the NBA nightcap tonight against the lowly Sacramento Kings in overtime, 125-124. The Rockets always seem to have a stupid loss to the Kings in them, every year, just as they have a ridiculous loss to Utah in them every year.

This week was a bit special in terms of absurd losses. Coming off a convincing win in Denver (again) the Rockets dropped a very winnable game against Sacramento. Yes, it was a back to back, but other teams manage not to be awful in back to backs. Maybe it’s play style, or Steven Adams sitting out, but whatever it is, they need to fix it, as there are plenty more coming.

Of the three overtime losses, one isn’t completely pathetic. The Rockets lost to Denver in OT, with some really iffy calls by Zach Zarba, as the NBA’s own Last Two Minute Report on that game will confirm. We don’t really need to say much more about that one.

The other two? In one the Rockets managed to blow a 25 point lead against the New Orleans Pelicans. In this one they blew a lead as well, though not as big. Tonight they let the Kings hang around, didn’t play with much cohesion, or force, lost another late.

Every single overtime game means your team had a chance to win it. The Rockets won none of their recent overtime games.

I suppose we can talk about this game in particular, but I’m not sure how illuminating it will be. I’d rather cover what I see as key problems.

First the good news. The Rockets should have won the last four games. They were in a position, in some cases an excellent position, to do so. The bad news is they managed to lose all three games that went to OT.

In other good news, Tari Eason returned, and looked good over all. He had 16 points in 16 minutes on 6-8 shooting, and 3-3 from three point range. Minutes he takes from Josh Okogie, and Aaron Holiday might generally benefit the Rockets. If he plays anything like this on offense, in 30 plus minutes, he’s a huge help. He also, according to Ime Udoka’s post game comments, left his man on the 3pt make from The Schrodent that sealed the victory for the Kings. That’s probably post injury rust for Eason.

The Rockets are in a tough part of their schedule, and right now the breaks are beating them.

This isn’t to be bleak, we’ve seen the Rockets also play up to their competition, yet show a certain lack of closing ability. The only game where they were truly outplayed this season, to me, was against the Spurs. Otherwise the Rockets had a big role in beating themselves, every time.

The rest of this game was the Rockets playing down to their competition, as though this particular team was well established contender. Frankly they just haven’t earned that status yet, Losses to Utah, Sacramento, New Orleans and Dallas won’t help them get there.

In this game the Rockets lost the rebounding battle to a team playing a rookie center, and essentially one real power forward. They made mental mistakes. They missed defensive assignments. While they didn’t have an astonishing number of turnovers, the ones they had were awful.

There are some good things here, but who really deserves a pat on the back in this miserable, unnecessary loss? They shot well, rebounded poorly, and failed to execute and close this one out.

The Rockets can hope to learn from this, though in terms of the past week, the signs aren’t encouraging.

Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/rockets-game-threads/37385/rockets-fall-to-the-kings-in-ot-125-124