The Houston Rockets once again struggled defensively on the second night of a back-to-back, falling 124-115 to the Utah Jazz. It was a game that exposed Houston’s reoccurring issues on that end of the floor,

In The Athletic’s new column ranking 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year candidates, Rockets coach Ime Udoka is second behind Cleveland’s Kenny Atkinson.

The Houston Rockets sported the NBA's No. 10 offense from Opening Night through Feb.1, a marked jump from last year's bottom-10 mark. Recent weeks featured a severe regression, with one player's absence as a central culprit.

We could be mentally and physically fried,” Ime Udoka says of the Rockets (34-21), who have lost seven of their last nine games.

Amid the Houston Rockets’ 48-point first quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves over the weekend, the return of Jabari Smith Jr. — and more importantly, Ime Udoka’s utilization of the third-year big — was a reminder of his value.

Discover what went wrong for the Rockets in their recent loss to the Warriors and the coach's strategy to address key issues.

"You have to play with a certain amount of aggression, physicality and effort, or you don't give yourself a chance," says coach Ime Udoka.