The post-Christmas winter months in the Association are a slog. Travel is complicated by weather. Injuries begin to mount. And even with half the season gone, there isn’t a ton of urgency among NBA franchises like the Houston Rockets.
But, winning is winning and the best teams find a way to trudge through the schedule between the “unofficial” start of the season on Christmas Day and the trade deadline, now just a few weeks away.
For the Rockets, that means trying to win games as always, fighting natural fatigue, and facing the inevitable injuries that hit every team at some point.
**Big Home Wins**
The Rockets went 4-1 on their most recent home stand including wins over the Timberwolves and Spurs. Their only loss was to the best team in the NBA, OKC. The win over the Spurs was particularly impressive coming back from a 16-point deficit in the third quarter to beat the team directly ahead of them (by one game) in the standings.
At the Toyota Center this year, the Rockets are 15-3, with those three losses coming against the Pistons, Nuggets and Thunder, three of the best teams in the league. Unfortunately, they are just 11-12 on the road, but up until their last road trip, had played more road games than any other team. Seven of their next 11 games are in Houston, so they have a chance to make up ground in the conference where they currently sit fourth.
> [Rockets stun Spurs in huge comeback win 111-106](https://www.houstonpress.com/news/rockets-stun-spurs-in-huge-comeback-win-111-106/)
**Steven Adams Out Indefinitely**
One unfortunate and significant blow to the roster came when center Steven Adams rolled his ankle against New Orleans causing a grade 3 sprain, which will keep him out for the foreseeable future. It’s possible his regular season is over, but perhaps not the postseason. Coach Ime Udoka said on Tuesday that Adams wouldn’t be back “any time soon,” so that should provide some indication of the severity.
Adams has been a key part of the rotation, averaging 22 minutes per game, but providing one of the best if not the best offensive rebounding big man in the NBA. The Rockets are, by a pretty good margin, the best rebounding team in basketball and Adams was a big reason why. Until he can return, the team turns to Clint Capela, proving that a move questioned in the offseason should now pay dividends.
**Reed Sheppard’s Growth**
For all of Reed Sheppard’s struggles in his rookie season, few in the organization doubted he could improve and be a solid contributor despite what fans may have believed. But recently, he is earning his keep as an important scoring option off the bench. He is averaging 13 points on nearly 41 percent from the three-point line. But, he’s also averaging 1.4 steals and 3 assists with just 1 turnover, all signs of his overall maturation.
Against the Spurs Tuesday night, he had a team high 21 points and was the catalyst in the Rockets comeback. Kevin Durant has routinely praised Sheppard and clearly the young guard’s confidence is growing by the game. In his last five games, he’s shooting better than 45 percent from beyond the arc. For a team that doesn’t shoot a ton of threes, but is pretty efficient offensively, having a dead-eye shooter is critical and Sheppard is growing into that role before our eyes.
**KD Keeps Scoring**
Kevin Durant is a marvel. At 37, he just keeps performing at a superstar level and because of his lengthy career, he is beginning to reach some serious milestones. This week, he passed Dirk Nowitzki for sixth on the list of all-time scoring. If all goes well, he’ll pass Michael Jordan this year and Kobe Bryant next. He has an outside chance at getting to third past Karl Malone depending on how much longer he plays. That’s some seriously rarified air.
This article appears in [Private: Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2026](https://www.houstonpress.com/?post_type=newspack_collection&p=402482).