The Houston Rockets started the season 1-1, but have since lost 14 games in a row. They extended their losing streak over the weekend after blowing a fourth-quarter lead against the New York Knicks.
The Rockets saw their away record drop to 0-10 this season. Dating back to last season, the Rockets have lost their last 16 games on the road. Speaking of last season, the Rockets were the worst team in the NBA during 2020-21 with a 17-55 record. At their lowest point, they lost 20 games in a row under first-year head coach Stephen Silas.
The current Rockets are the lowest-scoring team in the league, averaging 100.8 ppg. They failed to reach the century mark eight times this season, including in three games when they scored fewer than 90 points. The Rockets also have the fourth-worst defense in the NBA, allowing 111.6 ppg.
Gotham choke job
The Rockets had the Knicks on the ropes during their trip to Madison Square Garden, and it looked like they’d finally end their losing streak. However, the Knicks rallied in the fourth quarter thanks to timely shooting from Alec Burks, who exploded for 17 points in the final frame.
“I am proud of our guys,” said Silas. “We just have to finish. We had some great looks, and they didn’t go down.”
“As soon as that adversity hit, we wanted to play one-on-one again,” said rookie Jalen Green. “We weren’t worried about defense. We were worried about buckets, and it took us out of our game.”
The Rockets selected Green with the second pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. He’s second on the Rockets in scoring, averaging 14.5 ppg, but he’s shooting only 28.4% from 3-point range.
Christian Wood leads the Rockets in scoring with only 16.2 ppg, but he also averages 11.2 rebounds. The erratic Kevin Porter, Jr averages only 12.7 ppg.
On Deck: Celtics, Bulls, Hornets
The Rockets are at the tail end of a four-game road trip with the Boston Celtics (9-8) on the slate for Monday evening. Then, the Rockets get a much-welcomed respite in the schedule with seven out of their next eight games at home in Houston, with the lone away game a quick sojourn to Oklahoma City.
The Rockets return home to host the Chicago Bulls (12-5) on Wednesday and the Charlotte Hornets (10-8) on Saturday. Next week, they have a home/away series against the OKC Thunder (6-10) before returning back to Houston for four straight home games against the Orlando Magic (4-13), New Orleans Pelicans (3-15), Brooklyn Nets (12-5), and Milwaukee Bucks (9-8). There are a couple of good teams on their immediate schedule, but the Rockets also host three losing teams in Houston, giving them a chance to end their losing streak and finally get off the schneid.
Betting-wise, the Rockets are 6-9-1 against the spread as one of the five worst ATS teams in the NBA. The Rockets are +11.5 road dogs against the Celtics on Monday evening.
