Though they’ve suddenly lost three straight games, the Houston Rockets aren’t playing much worse than they were a week ago — when they owned an NBA-best winning streak of six games.
Much of the difference is simply circumstantial. The six-game winning streak all came within the friendly home confines of Toyota Center. The three-game skid, on the other hand, all came in California versus the Los Angeles Clippers, Lakers, and Golden State Warriors.
In the first two games of that road trip, the Rockets were tied in the game’s final 10 seconds before losing. In the finale, they only lost by five points. Thus, there are still ample reasons for optimism, particularly when considering that each of those three opponents features multiple future Hall of Famers on its 2023-24 roster.
On Wednesday, the schedule eases up for the Rockets (6-6) with a visit from Memphis (3-10). The Grizzlies lost Dillon Brooks to Houston in the offseason, and they’re still missing superstar guard Ja Morant due to a league suspension. As a result, it would seem to be an ideal opportunity on paper for the Rockets to get back to winning ways.
“You can see now they have no swagger,” Brooks said of his former team, via Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
“It’s like the girlfriend that you used to have,” Brooks added. “You don’t know how good she is until she’s gone.”