Interviews: Surging Rockets find clear progress in…

Interviews: Surging Rockets find clear progress in defense, rebounding

In Saturday’s convincing home win over Sacramento, the Rockets allowed just 36 second-half points to the Kings, and Houston outrebounded its opponent for the first time in the 2023-24 season.

None of that was by accident.

“We pointed out that we were 30th in the league (in rebounding) after four games.” said head coach Ime Udoka. “So, we did a few old-school rebounding drills.”

The high-octane Kings (2-3) hadn’t scored below 100 points in any of their first four games of the season, yet the Rockets (2-3) held them to 89 en route to a second consecutive win. That included a third quarter in which the Rockets struggled to shoot and went more than seven minutes without scoring, yet only lost three points off their lead. They held the Kings to 15 points in the period.

“You got to be able to fall back on your defense,” said Fred VanVleet, who joined Dillon Brooks as free agency acquisitions by the Rockets with superior defense in mind.

“I think that’s why having that foundation is great, especially in this league,” VanVleet added. “There’s going to be times the ball just doesn’t want to go in the hoop. We missed so many easy ones, layups and open shots. You have to be able to rely on your defense in those stretches … and I thought that we did that and withstood the run.”

Houston's transition defense rankings

2019-20: 25th
2020-21: 29th
2021-22: 30th
2022-23: 30th
2023-24: 7th

— Nathan Fogg (@NathanFogg1) November 5, 2023

Houston ranks No. 17 in overall defensive rating, and they actually lead the league with the fewest fast-break points allowed. It’s a dramatic turnaround from last season under Stephen Silas, when they ranked second-to-last and dead last in those categories.

The Rockets are hoping to continue showing that progress when they host Sacramento for a rematch at Toyota Center on Monday night. Until then, here’s postgame interviews after Saturday’s win.