Houston Rockets: Three things to improve on after week one
By T.A. Mock
The Houston Rockets finished week one of the season with a 1-2 record. Here are three things the team needs to improve on moving forward.
The Houston Rockets started their 2018-19 season a week ago against the New Orleans Pelicans. It did not go as played as the frontcourt duo of Anthony Davis and Nikola Mirotic dominated all night long. The Pelicans wound up beating the Rockets 131-112.
The Rockets then had a few days off before a multi-game road trip to Tinseltown. They first faced the Lakers in Los Angeles on Saturday night. The Rockets won 124-115 in a heated contest that saw three players (Brandon Ingram, Rajon Rondo, and Chris Paul) get ejected for fighting. Aside from that, it was a solid victory that spoiled LeBron James‘ Lakers home debut.
The team stayed in LA that night to take on the Clippers on Sunday. In a surprising affair, the Clippers seemed to dominate the whole night. They took care of the Paul-less Rockets 115-112. Needless to say, not the start anyone imagined for the Rockets.
Must Read. How the Rockets spoiled the LeBron's home debut. light
Next, they journey back home to Houston for a game tonight against the Jazz in the first game of a three-game home stretch. The game starts at 7:00 pm CT and you can tune in on AT&T Sports Network to watch the playoff rematch with Donovan Mitchell and company.
Not a lot has gone right for the Houston Rockets this season even though they managed to dispatch the Lakers on Saturday. James Harden and Clint Capela both struggled mightily in game one, though both have improved since then. Carmelo Anthony has struggled to adapt to his new role and losing Paul for two games hasn’t helped.
The team will have to manage without both Paul, suspension, and James Ennis, strained hamstring. Which likely means Michael Carter-Williams will step into the starting lineup as the defensive wing.
Needless to say, this team will turn things around. They are simply too talented to not. But, these three things are areas of particular concern through the first week of the season. Let’s discuss.