It’s no secret Wednesday's 99-93 loss versus the Golden State Warriors is likely the most disappointing loss of the season. The Rockets entered the game with a full roster minus Tari Eason against an undermanned Warriors team missing both point guard Stephen Curry and Power Forward Draymond Green. Additionally, the Warriors had been struggling losing their last five games versus The San Antonio Spurs, the Brooklyn Nets, The Oklahoma City Thunder, The Phoenix Suns, and The Denver Nuggets respectively.
In comparison, the Rockets were coming off a somewhat impressive stretch despite losing NBA cup game against the Sacramento Kings. Houston had recently recorded two huge overtime victories against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Philadelphia Seventy Sixers in NBA Cup play. Additionally, Houston beat Oklahoma City on December 1st which was a huge statement win. It seemed that things were looking good for Houston despite their unfortunate loss to Sacramento, and even Jalen Green appeared to be more of a contributor versus The Philadelphia 76ers on the offensive end. Fast forward to the next game versus The Oaklahoma City Thunder Jalen managed to produce value for the team even without his shot falling.
All of this leads us to wonder what went wrong.
Poor shooting overall
Houston as a team shot a disappointing 37.6% from the field, 26.3% from three, and 76.5% from the free throw line. Compare this to Golden State who shot 41.9% from the field, 32.1% percent from three, but shot a horrific 66.7% from the free throw line. Alperen Sengun shot 7-of-15, Jalen Green shot 4-of-16 and 0-for-4 from three, Dillon Brooks shot 6-of-13 Jabari shot 2-of-8, and Fred Vanvleet shot 5-of-16. Off the bench Sheppard and Thompson went a combined 3-for-10 from the field, Steven Adams shot 3-of-4, and Aaron Holiday shot 1-of-2. If the Rockets make a few more baskets they are likely able to win this game.
Losing the rebound battle
Normally the Rockets are able to make up for their shooting woes by outclassing their opponents in other categories whether that be turnovers, offensive rebounds et cetera. However for one of the first times this season Houston lost the rebounding battle. Houston and Golden State both had 11 offensive rebounds, but Golden State had 43 defensive rebounds compared to Houston’s 34. Houston was leading the league in offensive rebounds per game, and even after this loss continues to do so. Grabbing an offensive rebound of the class has honestly been one of the Rockets' best forms of offense this season, so if they can win the rebounding battle that will be a huge help.
Poor paint defense
Perhaps the most impressive part about the Houston Rockets this season is their defense. Houston has consistently ranked among the top teams in the NBA in terms of defense. However, in this game, the Rockets struggled defensively. Sengun particularly struggled in the paint and on the perimeter and was consistently beaten on the boards in critical situations. However, this is one of Sengun’s worst if not his worst defensive performances this season as Sengun has been a much-improved defender.
How does Houston come back and secure a win in the next matchup?
If the Rockets aren’t going to win on the offensive side of the basketball they need to do better on the defensive end of the floor. However, this offensive performance was egregiously bad, and Houston still was within six percentage points of Golden State in both field goal and three-point percentages. Additionally, if the Rockets are able to secure more offensive rebounds that should help their offense as well because it will open up opportunities for easy buckets.