To say Houston went into Tuesday’s matchup with the Mavericks with a “must win” attitude would be an understatement.
That assertion might lead some to assume the Rockets had their minds set on advancing to the next round of the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament with a win. That was not the main focus in Dallas, however.
What was at stake for Houston was an opportunity to win a game away from Toyota Center, which the Rockets desperately needed. They failed to complete that mission, losing 121-115 to the Mavericks. The loss eliminated Houston from the in-season tournament and dropped the Rockets to 0-6 on the road this season.
The puzzling issue for head coach Ime Udoka is how close his team is to turning things around by learning how to finish games. Excluding a 30-point blowout loss in the season opener against the Orlando Magic, Houston has not lost by double digits. That opening loss inflates the average margin of defeat on the road to 8.6 points.
“We want to get a win on the road and start to play as well as we play at home,” Udoka said after Tuesday’s practice.
One player who needs his game to travel away from Toyota Center is third-year shooting guard Jalen Green, who has struggled during the Rockets’ road losing streak. He averages 22.6 points per game while shooting 44% from the field and 37% from 3-point range at home, but those numbers drop significantly on the road to 14.8 points, 36% overall shooting and 27% on 3-pointers.
“He has to keep competing,” Rockets veteran Fred VanVleet said of Green’s struggles on the road. “It is going to look different on different nights. I am not here to be a Jalen Green critic; I am here to help him and see how we can keep him more effective and more aggressive. He has been good for us the last couple of games, and we have to find ways to help him be more successful.”
Green and the Rockets (8-7) are hoping to turn around their road woes starting Wednesday night in Denver, where the defending NBA champion Nuggets (12-6) likely are looking for some measure of revenge against the Rockets after suffering two losses in Houston earlier this month. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. Central.
