With a record of 15-6, the Houston Rockets just passed the quarter pole of 82 regular-season games. The six losses total is tied for the second-fewest in the Western Conference in 2025-26.
However, the Rockets weren’t entirely satisfied. Their overall net rating (+10.8) and defensive rating rank second in the NBA, trailing only the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. They rank fourth in offensive efficiency.
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Of those six losses, five were games that could have been won in the fourth quarter. Execution in key moments, especially in half-court situations, has occasionally been problematic. So, led by two 2025 All-Stars in Kevin Durant and Alperon Sengon, the Rockets believe they are capable of more.
After falling shorthanded to Dallas on Saturday on the second night of a back-to-back, the Rockets are currently on a rare schedule break, with their next game not until Thursday (at home against the Los Angeles Clippers).
So after five games in seven nights, head coach Ime Udoka allowed his tired squad a complete rest on Sunday and Monday.
But the Rockets were back in shape at their practice facility in Houston on Tuesday, where team activities included film shoots and competitive drills.
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After the training, Udoka provided this assessment to local reporters (via Space City Home Network, SCHN):
It’s always good to dig into what we do and look at some trends. Then, we attack the guys on the field.
We want to be great, but I think overall we’ve been pretty good. If you look at the record, 15 wins and 6 losses, there are some positives. But we also feel like we’ve let some (games) slip away, so we’re trying to find areas where we’ve grown or fallen off a bit. Overall, it’s good, but we’re trying to do better.
Today we’re looking at what happened after the first 10 games, and what happened in the last 11 games. Overall, you’ll see some good and bad trends. But for the most part, when you get your plus-minus to where we are, and offense and defense to where we are, we’re making some good progress. We know we can reach another level.
As for identifying potential issues outside of execution at critical moments. The Rockets are also 0-2 on the second night of back-to-back games and 15-4 in all other games. Fortunately, they only have one more back-to-back game left this month (December 20 and 21 at Denver and Sacramento), and they’re hoping to get a few more roster additions before the number of back-to-back games increases in January – namely Tari Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith.
Thursday’s game against the Clippers (6-18) will take place at Midtown Toyota Center at 7:00 p.m. and will be televised regionally on SCHN and nationally on NBA League Pass.
More: Tari Eason, Dorian Finney-Smith expected to rejoin Rockets in coming weeks
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Ime Udoka: 15-6 Rockets are good, but strive for “better than good”