The Houston Rockets once again struggled defensively on the second night of a back-to-back, falling 124-115 to the Utah Jazz.
It was a game that exposed Houston’s reoccurring issues on that end of the floor, as they gave up 68 second-half points, including 37 in the fourth quarter, allowing a Jazz team in transition to take control late.
The loss dropped Houston to 35-22 overall, sliding them from No. 4 to No. 5 in the Western Conference standings—a shift that could be costly come playoff time with home-court advantage at stake.
Even though the Rockets still hold the league’s No. 4 defense for the season, they’ve slipped to No. 19 in defensive rating since January. That slide has coincided with a 3-8 record across their last 11 games, and head coach Ime Udoka had seen enough.
“It was an ugly, embarrassing, non-competitive game all the way around,” Udoka said postgame, as the Rockets dropped their sixth straight road game
The Jazz took full advantage of Houston’s defensive lapses. Keyonte George scored 30 points on 10-of-17 shooting (58.8%), while Lauri Markkanen added 23 points and 10 rebounds. The Rockets, who entered the game as the NBA’s best rebounding team, were severely outworked on the glass, getting out-rebounded 58-41.
We couldn’t stay connected to Markkanen or guard George one-on-one, and when we did get stops, they got every offensive rebound,” Udoka said, frustrated by his team’s lack of physicality.
Despite their defensive struggles, Alperen Sengun led the way for Houston with 27 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists, while Jalen Green put up 25 points and 10 assists, knocking down 6-of-12 from deep. Amen Thompson also contributed 22 points and nine rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Houston’s defensive breakdowns.
Houston was without starting point guard Fred VanVleet, who was out with an ankle injury, in addition to reserves Tari Eason and Steven Adams, but to coach Udoka, that didn’t excuse the team’s lack of fire.
The Rockets will look to bounce back when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks at home on Tuesday, tipping off at 7:00 p.m. CST.
