What the Thunder exposed about the Rockets — and why their slump can’t be ignored ahead of trade deadline

HOUSTON — By the time the Oklahoma City Thunder drilled their third triple in the span of a 60-second early fourth quarter stretch, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, livid from his team’s compounding mistakes, stormed the court heading straight for Reed Sheppard.

Sheppard, who was the culprit for two of the three wide-open looks — a mixup in coverage and communication — could only hang his head while Udoka admonished the second-year guard all the way to his seat on the bench, before attempting to salvage what was left of the game.

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Houston’s accumulation of mistakes had turned a rather tight contest up until that point into a nine-point deficit they never recovered from. But Udoka’s outburst wasn’t simply an isolated incident in a lengthy regular season. It was a clear reminder of the gap that exists between both franchises, an illustration of the razor-thin margin for error against the elite — and a possible indication that their prior stance toward the trade market might need revisiting weeks before the deadline.

“Every game matters for us and we haven’t been playing our best,” Udoka said following Houston’s 111-91 blowout loss. “Regardless of record or whatever, we need to continue to focus on what we’re doing.”

Thursday night’s offensive fiasco was a microcosm of the issues surrounding this talented Rockets team as of late. The Thunder’s defensive game plan was simple: swarm Kevin Durant first and foremost, sending extra help on drives and potential pull-ups and lean on physicality to mitigate Alperen Şengün’s impact around the elbows. For nearly 40 minutes, Durant had no room to breathe, with arms, feet and everything but the kitchen sink in his way — that he finished with just 19 points on 23 shots is no surprise, nor is Şengün’s 14 points on 15 shots.

“I felt like I missed some good shots to be honest,” Durant said. “But they swarmed the paint, we got up 104 looks. My shot-making is supposed to inspire the whole group so when I’m not making shots, it takes away from us. I just gotta be more prepared and fundamentally sound. A few shots I rushed or…

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Author : Kelly Iko

Publish date : 2026-01-16 07:21:00

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