About The Rockets
Houston didn’t have the season the Rockets were projected to have. Still, the Rockets matched last season’s record. Their 52 wins are the most since 2018-19, when they won 53 games.
The Rockets have been a top-5 team in the conference all season long and have been fairly consistent. The Rockets did have a nearly two-month lull, from early February to the end of March, where they went 12-12 over a 24-game stretch. However, they followed that up by winning nine of their final 10 contests.
Houston is a well-balanced offensive team, ranking 10th in the league in offensive efficiency. The Rockets are a good shooting team, though, like the Lakers, they don’t shoot a ton of threes — knocking down 11.5 treys on 31.5 attempts. The Rockets are an elite rebounding team, particularly on the offensive end (15.0 a game). But they struggle at the free-throw line and with turnovers.
Houston has a top-10 defense. The Rockets hold opponents to 46% shooting from the field, with their strength on the perimeter, limiting opponents to 12.1 threes at a 35.1% clip. The Rockets are a solid defensive rebounding team and don’t foul. But they don’t force many turnovers (13.4) and allow the 10th-most second-chance points (15.2).
Durant had a solid first season with the Rockets, leading six players in double-figures with 26.0 points a game on 52% shooting from the field and 2.4 threes at 41.3% clip. Alperen Sengun is one of the most versatile offensive centers in the league, averaging 20 points along with a career-high 6.2 assists. Jabari Smith Jr., Reed Sheppard, and Amen Thompson all had career offensive seasons.
Since the All-Star break, Houston has averaged 116.3 points on 49.2% shooting from the field and 11.7 treys at a 35.5% clip. The Rockets also averaged 48.7 rebounds (13.5 offensive), 26.7 assists, and 15.7 turnovers.
Defensively, the Rockets have allowed 110.7 points on 46.4% shooting from the field and 12.6 threes at a 35.3% clip in the second half of the season. Their opponents averaged just 38.9 rebounds (11.1 offensive), 24.7 assists, and 13.2 turnovers.
