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Mar 29, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) brings the ball up court on a fast break against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Why the Rockets Have Trouble Against Contending Teams

Originally posted on Houston Rockets on SI
By Maanav Gupta | Last updated Mar 31, 2026 12:00 PM ET

The Houston Rockets are right now sitting in between the true contending teams in the Western Conference and the non-contenders. In other words, sixth place in the West.

It's almost the perfect spot for the Rockets given that is where they stand in terms of performance as well. During the first half of the season, the Rockets maintained a top three spot in the West and looked to be one of the better teams in the conference.

The injury of Steven Adams ended up hurting them strongly due to the fact the Rockets were getting an incredible amount of offensive rebounds and second chance points to boost the offense.

The weaknesses in offense have been demonstrated against the best teams in the West such as the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers. It's been a massive struggle against the contending teams in the second half of the year, specifically since the All-Star break.

The Rockets are 5-7 after the break against winning teams. The wins were against the Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Hornets.

Both the Heat and Hornets are ninth and 10th in the East. Orlando is eighth. Furthermore, the Rockets are 1-6 against teams in the top five of either conference. The only win was the Raptors at home who were missing a few players due to injury.

The Rockets haven't demonstrated the abililty to beat a playoff team recently. They'll get another chance against the New York Knicks, who are third in the East with a 48-27 record, comparable to the Rockets' 45-29.

Issues In Big Games

Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Rockets lost by 25 points to the Spurs and gave up 140 points. San Antonio blew past Alperen Sengun's defense. Houston followed that up with a 36-point loss to the Denver Nuggets, but that was on the second of a back-to-back. The Rockets shot a 4/33 from three, the worst mark in team history.

In two huge games against the Lakers at home earlier in March, the Rockets blew leads in the second half. LA used a simple tactic of doubling Kevin Durant when he was the ball-handler, which caused confusion and turnovers for Houston.

The Rockets struggled to find alternative scorers in those games. The three main problems have been the turnovers, lack of in-game adjustments and reliance on Durant. Good teams will find ways to limit KD.

Alperen Sengun has been feasting lately. That will be difficult to replicate consistently against the top competition. They will take away his easy baskets and play much better defense. When the going gets tough, who will step up? The Rockets need Sengun to show up like he's capable of. His monster game against the Minnesota Timberwolves shows what can be possible.

Contending teams will make the Rockets pay mightily for their carelessness with the ball. Houston has been far too loose with ball security at various stretches, combined with a lack of awareness in critical moments. Those silly mistakes and preventable live ball turnovers bring a downfall to what can be winnable games. That's the reason why teams make big comebacks late against the Rockets.

If Tari Eason continues to get back on track, and Reed Sheppard makes plays in the starting lineup, the Rockets could have a chance. Sheppard can find the team baskets late when it gets tough to score.

The Rockets have a three-game stretch against the Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers, and T-Wolves. They are all playoff teams. Houston needs to show growth against that competition.

This article first appeared on Houston Rockets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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