Rockets Had Finally Snapped Losing Streak Before NBA Suspended Season

The Houston Rockets had finally gotten back to their winning ways last Tuesday at home, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-111. The win snapped a four game losing streak during which Houston fell to New York, Los Angeles, Charlotte, and Orlando. The losses against the Clippers and Magic were both blowouts.

The losing streak came immediately on the heels of a six game winning streak that had Houston within striking distance of the second seed in the Western Conference and had many observers believing the team was validated in its decision to trade center Clint Capela for forward Robert Covington.

Entering Tuesday night, in a twist of irony, the Rockets sat in the sixth seed of the Western Conference, behind the fifth-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. This past summer, the two teams swapped star point guards in what was seen as a salary dump of Chris Paul’s contract.

Prior to the win, head coach Mike D’Antoni suggested that his team had lost faith in the system.

I think we’re second guessing ourselves a lot of times. There’s no swagger, we’re passing up threes, we’re driving in because we missed so many threes [Thursday]. Now everybody says drive, well, that’s what they did. They stay inside, and you’ve got 25 turnovers. That’s what most people don’t understand. We need to take the shots. We need to take the threes. Even if we miss it, so be it, but we need to play the way we play.

Even in the win, the Rockets shot just 38 3’s, going 15/38. For the year, the Rockets lead the league in three point attempts—as they have for the last several seasons since D’Antoni took over-at 44.3 per game. That figure is nearly three attempts higher than the figure for the Dallas Mavericks who take the second most attempts.

Against the Knicks, the Rockets shot 20/56 on 3’s; against the Clippers they shot 7/42; against the Hornets they shot 15/45; and against the Magic, they shot 9/32. It would appear that during the losing streak, the doubts set in against Orlando.

The Rockets were set to square off against the Lakers on Thursday in a game which just three weeks ago might have looked like a Western Conference Finals preview. That was before the NBA suspended its season upon Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert testing positive for COVID-19. The Rockets handled Los Angeles back in February 121-111 in the team’s first game following the blockbuster trade which sent Capela to Atlanta, forcing Houston to play small.

Now play will be suspended until further notice. Commissioner Adam Silver said the league would reassess the situation in 30 days.

To the extent there even is a silver lining during a time like this, in the context of basketball, the stoppage of play likely works to Houston’s advantage. The Rockets have the oldest roster in the league and an exhausting style of play. The time off could be beneficial. It also will allow players to clear their heads after a stretch which tanked them in the standings, just when it seemed they were finally on the rise.