Coach Ime Udoka may have reached his breaking point Wednesday night. The Houston Rockets sustained arguably their worst loss of the season in a 121-113 defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies.
A victory for the Grizzlies broke a nine-game losing streak, while the Rockets fell to 5-21 on the road. After a win over the New York Knicks Monday night, Houston hasn't won back-to-back games since early January.
"It has been that way for a while now, maybe underestimating the competition," coach Ime Udoka said. "We came out like the softest team in the league."
The Rockets are entering the All-Star break six games under .500 with a 24-30 record. They are 12th in the Western Conference and trail the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz for the 10th and final spot for the Play-In Tournament. They are also 5-21 on the road.
Udoka vowed to find a solution to Houston's struggles with 28 games left in the season, and the result could lead to significant changes.
"It’s definitely a concerning problem," Udoka said. "Maybe I have to look at the rotation and the lineup I have out there starting and try to get five competitors out there at one time to avoid poor starts like that. I will look at all of that over the break. Look in the mirror at myself and figure out the best way forward to get us off to better starts."
Perhaps the contributions from Nate Hinton led to Udoka's desire to change his lineup.
The Rockets struggled coming out of the gate against Memphis. A 15-point deficit extended to 23 points at the 10:14 mark of the second quarter. A few possessions later, Hinton checked into the game for Jalen Green.
Houston was down 46-23 when Hinton checked into the game. He scored seven of his season-high 10 points off the bench during the period. His energy on both ends helped ignite a 26-8 run to close the first half. Houston went into halftime down 58-49 due to Hinton's play.
Udoka benched Green for Hinton a second time midway through the third quarter. He played nearly nine of his season-best 15 minutes during the second half. His effort and energy were the lone positives Udoka took into the All-Star break when reflecting on an embarrassing night in Memphis.
The former University of Houston guard also added four rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in the loss.
"It was good to see somebody come in and bring some juice," Udoka said. "Especially when the others put us in a deficit due to energy level and competitiveness."
Replacing Green in the starting lineup with Hinton is an unlikely change Udoka will consider. But a revised rotation could be significant for the Rockets during the season's final quarter.
Udoka benched Green at the 5:46 mark of the third quarter and cited defense and effort for his reasoning. In addition to Green, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Şengün also sat for an extended period against the Grizzlies.
Whether a change in the rotation or within his coaching philosophy, Udoka did not reveal what modifications he would make to the team. However, Udoka did share an outline of what he is looking for when the Rockets return to play on Feb. 22 against the New Orleans Pelicans inside the Smoothie King Center.
"The effort part has nothing to do with Fred [VanVleet]," Udoka said. "You have to bring your own energy and competitiveness to the game. As important as he is to calm us, if you do not come out and compete on both ends of the floor, it doesn't matter if Fred is out there or not.
"Effort. Competitiveness. The mentality that we are talking about, it is not just from one player. You have to look into the mirror and own up to it."
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