Houston Rockets: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Christmas Day Brings Another Big Opportunity For The Rockets

The Houston Rockets have had an up-and-down season so far. They've shown flashes of excellence with some dominant victories, but they've also shown their limitations by taking losses against worse teams and failing to finish against top teams.

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The Morning Bark

The Quiz of the Day

Rockets' Dominance on the Glass is Skewing Their Offensive Efficiency

By the numbers, the Houston Rockets’ offense is good. Very good. Houston ranks third in offensive efficiency and third in scoring (points per game). The Rockets haven’t ranked that high offensively in seven years.

James Harden News / Houston Rockets on SI / December 23

Is It Time for the Rockets to Consider Trading for James Harden?

The Houston Rockets have not beared the look of a contender of late. Not in the slightest. Not when you lose to teams like the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings.

Houston Rockets News / The Dream Shake / December 23

The Rockets don’t need to be so isolated

It seems like most of the articles I’ve written since I (blissfully) returned to The Dream Shake have been some iteration of “the Rockets have the NBA’s second-best Offensive Rating, but they need to fix their offense.” Well… It’s now the fourth-best Offensive Rating (121.0).

San Antonio Spurs News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'NBA Christmas Day 40-point games' quiz

In NBA history, a player has scored 40 or more points on Christmas Day on 30 occasions. How many of those can you name in five minutes?

The 'NBA all-time scoring leaders' quiz

The 'Most 40-point games in NBA history' quiz

The 'NBA playoff point-per-game leaders' quiz

Kevin Durant News / HITC / December 23

The Houston Rockets issue that even Kevin Durant is struggling to fix this season

The Houston Rockets’ recent defeat to the Sacramento Kings has brought an old issue back into focus. When the Rockets traded for Kevin Durant, the move was seen as a clear signal they planned to compete for a title this season.

NBA News / Yardbarker

Which NBA teams have the best Christmas Day records?

Christmas and the NBA go hand-in-hand. The day serves for the top hoops league in the world, like Thanksgiving for the NFL. However, while the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys are perpetual Thanksgiving participants, the NBA has mixed up the matchups and the teams throughout the years.

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / December 22

Former Rockets Coach Now Hall-of-Fame Eligible

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame recently announced nominees for their 2026 class. With another year gone, plenty of new names are now eligible, including many fan favorites from a recent generation of hoopers.

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / December 22

Rockets' Losses Lead to Significant Drop in Latest NBA Power Rankings

The Houston Rockets have had a rough month of basketball, most recently losing another overtime game, this one being a 125-124 defeat to the Sacramento Kings.

Alperen Sengun News / Houston Rockets on SI / December 22

Rockets Alperen Sengun Considered a Lock for the All-Star Team

Alperen Sengun has been one of the league's top 15 players this season. Well-renowned NBA analysts Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe both have him as a top-15 player on The Ringer's Top 100 list and the masses would probably agree.

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / December 22

Rockets Can't Afford To Keep Dropping Games Against Weaker Opponents

As soon as the Houston Rockets picked up what may have been their biggest win of the season, they followed with with a contender for one of the season's worst losses.

Ime Udoka News / The Dream Shake / December 22

Can Rockets Ime Udoka remedy his offensive warts?

Ime Udoka is universally regarded as one of the league’s better young coaches. Within two short years, he lifted the Rockets from the dregs of the Western Conference to the second seed in the conference.

Houston Rockets News / NBA on ClutchPoints / December 22

1 deal Rockets must make with 2025-26 NBA trade season underway

The Houston Rockets had a great offseason that was highlighted by one of the biggest trades in NBA history. In a seven-team deal, the Rockets added Kevin Durant and Clint Capela.

James Harden News / NBA on ClutchPoints / December 22

What Jeff Teague wants Rockets to tell James Harden about a trade

The Houston Rockets have been solid so far on the 2025-26 NBA season, currently sitting at 17-9 despite a loss to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday evening.

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / December 22

The Rockets Need To Stack Signature Wins

The Houston Rockets finally got a signature win against one of the teams ahead of them in the Western Conference standings. In a rematch against the Denver Nuggets, the Rockets blew the game open in the second half and cruised to a complete victory.

NBA News / Houston Rockets on SI / December 22

Losses to the Kings and Pelicans Could Cost the Rockets Later in the Season

The Houston Rockets went into their most extended road trip of the season knowing that their earlier schedule, with multiple days off between games and a rare back-to-back, would change during this six-game stretch.

Click here to get Yardbarker's Quiz of the Day emailed to you!

The 'NFL's active 300-yard passers' quiz

The 'Multiple 3-rushing-TD games in a season' quiz

The '2004-05 NFL passing leaders' quiz

The 'Most multi-rushing-TD NFL games' quiz

Houston Rockets News / Last Word On Sports / December 22

Rockets Clutch Time Nightmare Keeps Getting Worse

Houston has spent much of this season looking like a team built for the long haul. The defense travels, the frontcourt punch remains real, and the roster has enough depth to survive ugly nights.

NBA News / Houston Rockets on SI / December 22

LISTEN: Audio Between Kevin Durant and Bruce Brown in Recent Rockets-Nuggets Contest

The Houston Rockets' game against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday became a bit more of a showdown than expected initially. The two teams squared off less than a week before the contest, which resulted in an overtime loss for the Rockets. Granted, the officiating played a large part.

Ime Udoka News / NBA on ClutchPoints / December 22

Rockets’ Ime Udoka points finger at himself for shocking OT loss to ‘lesser’ Kings

The Houston Rockets have played well this season and are staying competitive in the talented Western Conference. On any given night, a team could beat you regardless of what their schedule is, and unfortunately, that’s what happened to the Rockets in their latest game against the Sacramento Kings.

Coby White News / Houston Rockets on SI / December 22

Rockets Cited as Ideal Destination for Bulls Coby White

The Houston Rockets' point guard situation has been highly publicized this season. And scrutinized. (Rightfully so). The team has tinkered with giving Kevin Durant some point guard responsibilities and playmaking duties, which hasn't exactly been effective.

Kevin Durant News / NBA Analysis Network / December 22

Houston Rockets have a problem even Kevin Durant can’t solve this season

The Houston Rockets have a serious vulnerability as a side that has been exposed after their latest loss to the Sacramento Kings. When the Houston Rockets made the decision to trade for Kevin Durant, many felt it was a sign they were going to be contenders this season.

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / December 22

More Rockets Recognized in Another NBA Top 25 Under 25 List

The Houston Rockets have made incredible strides due to the addition of key veterans, most notably Kevin Durant. However, the young core cannot be overstated enough, as they have been major catalysts for a championship contender.

NBA News / Field Level Media / December 21

Rockets seek more road success against Kings

The Houston Rockets continue a six-game road trip that runs through Christmas Day when they visit the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night. Houston played at Denver for the second time in less than a week on Saturday and defeated the Nuggets 115-101.

NBA News / Yardbarker / December 20

Kevin Durant leads Rockets to convincing win over Nuggets

Kevin Durant, Reed Sheppard lead Rockets to convincing win over Nuggets

Just one game after blowing a massive first-half lead, the Houston Rockets bounced back in a major way with a 115-101 win over the Denver Nuggets.

One key Nuggets player is expected to leave the team in offseason

Red-hot Pelicans extend win streak behind Zion Williamson's big night

Unlikely hero Payton Pritchard leads Celtics to win vs. Raptors

Jaylen Brown comes clean on ‘negative’ Scottie Barnes description

Draymond Green gets ejected after shoving Collin Gillespie

James Wiseman hopes to seize opportunity in NBA return

Houston Rockets News / Last Word On Sports / December 20

Lack of a True Point Guard Is Starting to Hurt the Rockets

For much of the season, the Houston Rockets managed to mask a structural flaw through discipline, rebounding and defensive consistency. Even without a traditional point guard available, the team survived late-game moments by slowing the pace and leaning on physical advantages.