Rockets' Defense Has Propelled Them to Two Straight Wins

The losses have come here and there, but the Houston Rockets are rolling after another win over the Golden State Warriors last night, 104-100. Even without Kevin Durant, who has missed the past two games due to a family matter, the Rockets have gone 2-0 on their road trip. Houston sits at 12-4 on the season, good for fourth in the Western Conference.

The Rockets got great production from Reed Sheppard last night, who put up a career-high 31 points, nine rebounds and five assists. While he was the clear star of the show in Golden State, the rest of the team struggled to shoot at an efficient level. Houston shot 39% from the field last night.

The key for the Rockets over these last two games has been defense. In a 114-92 win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday, Houston held its opponent to 41-35-68 shooting splits, while posting 49-42-88 splits of its own.

Against the Warriors, the Rockets held them to 12-of-43 shooting from three (28%). Stephen Curry suffered a quad contusion, but they still did a good job of limiting the rest of the team.

Without Durant to generate much offense, Houston has posted a 118.5 offensive rating over the last two games, good for 12th in the NBA. However, in that stretch, the defense has risen to a 103.2 rating, which ranks third. The Rockets held the Suns and Warriors to an average of 96 points per game.

The second half of both games was when Houston's intensity really turned it up. On Wednesday, the Rockets held the Warriors to 17 and 24 points in the third and fourth quarters. On Monday, the Suns put up just 42 second-half points and were outscored 30-17 in the final 12 minutes.

Houston has been forced to play basketball reminiscent of last season. Without a primary shot creator like Durant, the team has had to rely on gritty defense to win games. Sheppard, Amen Thompson and Josh Okogie have been thriving on the other end, as the three put up a combined nine steals over the last two matchups.

With Durant expected to return against the Utah Jazz on Sunday, the Rockets should get their offensive mojo back and create more efficient shots. However, it's promising to see that even when the 6-foot-11 sniper isn't on the floor, gravitating defenses, Houston can still find ways to win.