The Houston Rockets have not been playing good basketball lately. More concerning, they simply haven’t been putting out a good product on the floor—even if the power rankings tell a slightly different story.
In the latest edition of The Athletic’s power rankings (published by Law Murray), Houston climbed one spot—from 8th to 7th—despite a disappointing stretch. Murray explained the modest rise while highlighting major red flags:
“The Rockets have some nasty losses this season where their offense simply can’t do what it needs to do. Saturday in New York was the seventh time this season that the Rockets were outscored by more than 10 points in the fourth quarter. The Rockets have unsurprisingly lost six of those games, and the six losses all saw the Rockets fail to break 40 percent shooting from the field in the final quarter—the Rockets are a great net rating team, but their offense can’t be taken seriously, like most Kevin Durant teams with suspect or nonexistent point guard play.”
That Houston would even hold steady—let alone improve—in league-wide rankings at this moment is somewhat surprising.
Just last week, Marc Stein had them ranked 9th. Since then, the Rockets:
- Dropped their final game before the All-Star break to a depleted LA Clippers team (no James Harden or Ivica Zubac), blowing a 13-point second-half lead as Kawhi Leonard scored 19 fourth-quarter points alone (Houston managed only 26 in the period).
- Narrowly escaped with a win over the Charlotte Hornets in their first game back—requiring 35 points from Kevin Durant on absurd efficiency (78.8% true shooting, 75% effective FG%). Charlotte played without their third-leading scorer, Miles Bridges.
- Collapsed spectacularly against the New York Knicks on national TV Saturday night (a rematch of the 1994 NBA Finals, Houston’s first championship). The Rockets led by as many as 16 points and entered the fourth quarter up 16—yet were outscored 33-15 in the final frame, committing nine turnovers in the quarter alone. Charles Barkley was among those criticizing their late-game offensive execution (or lack thereof).
Their most recent outing was a comfortable 125-105 win over the tanking Utah Jazz (leading by as many as 34 points in the third quarter). But even that game was sloppy—Houston committed 27 turnovers against the league’s worst defensive efficiency team.
Offensive Execution Remains the Biggest Concern
The Rockets rank highly in overall net rating, but their offense becomes unreliable in clutch moments. Without Fred VanVleet (injured/absent much of the season), they lack a reliable point guard to orchestrate and stabilize late-game situations. Reed Sheppard has shown flashes but continues to receive limited trust from coach Ime Udoka in crunch time.
The pattern is clear: Houston can build leads against most opponents but struggles to close—especially when the offense stalls, turnovers spike, and shooting goes cold in the fourth quarter.
Upcoming Schedule Offers Chance for Reset
Houston takes the court again Wednesday night against the Sacramento Kings, followed by a three-game road trip: Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, and Washington Wizards.
These games represent a critical stretch. A strong showing could quiet some of the concerns; continued late-game meltdowns—especially against winnable opponents—will only amplify criticism of their offensive identity and closing ability.
Fan Rockets: the talent is there (Durant elite, Şengün rising, young core promising), but execution and late-game reliability remain glaring issues. The next five games will tell us a lot about whether this team can turn the corner or if the “good net rating, bad clutch offense” narrative continues to define their 2025-26 season.