Two nights after a feel-good victory at the buzzer, the Rockets went on the road and experienced one of their most discouraging losses with Monday’s 132-124 setback (box score) in Chicago.
The Rockets (43-28) fell to No. 6 in the tightly packed Western Conference standings, while Chicago (29-42) remains at No. 12 in the East.
For Houston and its new-look starting lineup featuring Reed Sheppard, the concerns came on the defensive side of the ball. Matas Buzelis and Collin Sexton combined for 48 points while making 9-of-16 from 3-point range (46.3%), leading the way on a night where the home team shot a blistering 19-of-38 (50.0%) on 3-pointers.
In postgame comments, Ime Udoka — whose Rockets fell behind by 22 points before attempting a comeback — didn’t mince words. Among his remarks:
Poor start. Disrespected the game. Not prepared from the get-go. Just non-aggressive. Following them around and watching them shoot … Weren’t prepared to play, at all.
You look at the records, you look at who you’re playing against … and don’t come out prepared. You let them be comfortable, gain confidence.
For the Rockets, individual standouts included:
Unfortunately for the Rockets, even those extremely efficient showings weren’t enough to win on a night in which Houston’s defense was largely dreadful.
Monday’s game in Chicago was the opener of a four-game road trip for the Rockets, who will continue it at Minnesota on Wednesday night.
In a matchup of the fifth- and sixth-place teams in the Western Conference standings, tipoff versus the Timberwolves (44-28) is at 8:30 p.m. Central. The game will be televised and streamed regionally on Space City Home Network and nationally via ESPN.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: ‘Not prepared’: Bulls drop defenseless Rockets to No. 6 in West
Reporting by Ben DuBose, Rockets Wire / Rockets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
