Defense has been a clear problem of late for the Rockets, who are 1-9 in their last 10 games and have allowed 130 or more points four times in that run. That includes Friday’s blowout loss to Dallas, and two nights later, Houston hopes to make amends on that same Toyota Center court.
To turn the tables on Sunday, the Rockets will need a much better effort versus a young and athletic Timberwolves squad that ranks No. 6 in the NBA in defensive rating. As a result, attempting to simply outscore them in a high-scoring affair isn’t likely to bring the desired result.
Instead, Houston likely needs to take advantage of Minnesota’s weaker side — its No. 24-ranked offense — with a much more focused and energetic effort than the lethargic showing versus the Mavericks.
The Rockets have plenty of young players who can create and score, headlined by Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., and Christian Wood, but their challenge as the 2021-22 regular season hits its mid-point is to see many of those younger players start to show growth on defense, as well.
Rockets Last 10 games (rank)
Offensive rating: 109.4 (22)
Defensive ratiing: 123.4 (29)
Net rating: -14.0 (30)
Off rebounding: 26.1% (21)
Def rebounding: 68.2% (29)
Total rebounding: 46.5% (29)
Turnover rate: 15.6% (29)
Effective FG: 53.4% (14)
True Shooting: 57.2% (11)— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) January 8, 2022