Houston Rockets Flip the Script on Turnovers in the Second Half for Win

The Rockets were heading down the same turnover road Sunday that doomed them against the Spurs before doing a 180 in the second half on their way to a win over the Bucks

Nov 9, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) drives against Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma (18) in the first half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets were back in action Sunday afternoon after seeing their five-game winning streak come to an end after their 122-110 loss to the San Antonio Spurs Friday night. It was several reasons the Rockets winning streak came to an end Friday.

Starting with the Spurs being the more agressive and physical team from the start of the game to the end. The Rockets are known as one of if not the most physical teams in the league especially when it comes to defense and rebounding.

The Rockets coming into that game where the league's best rebounding team again through seven games, but the Spurs were right there with the Rockets the entire game in total rebounds and especially offensive rebounding where the Spurts converted those rebounds into second chance points at a high rate.

Ime Udoka himself talked after the game about how the Spurs were the more physical team and out-hustled the Rockets throughout the night. Another significant reason for the loss was the Rockets' 24 turnovers. The Rockets, in fact, had almost as many turnovers as they did assists, which is never a winning formula.

The Rockets knew turnovers could be an issue going into the season, when Fred VanVleet went down with a potential season-ending injury right before the start of training camp. VanVleet was the Rockets' floor general and leader on and off the court, and his injury left the Rockets with a big hole in the backcourt.

Despite the winning streak, the Rockets had struggled with turnovers all season, ranking in the bottom five in turnovers per game. The Spurs, like every team the Rockets face this season, realized that and pressured the Rockets from the opening tip to the end of the game. That led to players like Kevin Durant having a season-high eight turnovers, and the Spurs scoring 29 points off those turnovers on their way to a victory.

The Rockets were going down the same bad road of too many turnovers before turning it around in the second half vs the Bucks

The Rockets were falling into the same trap on Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks as they couldnt take care of the basketball. The Rockets had 12 turnovers the first half which led to 21 Bucks points and was the main reason the Rockets trailed 61-50 at the half.

Unlike the Spurs game, however, the Rockets completely turned it around in the second half, simplifying the offense and running more two-person games with Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant. That led to more open looks and scoring opportunities as the Rockets only turned the ball over five times in the second half.

That and the excellent play of Durant, Sengun, and Reed Sheppard led the Rockets to outscoring the Bucks 72-54 in the second half. The Rockets lead the league in scoring, and when they don't turn the ball over, they can score points on any team in the NBA. If they can improve on taking care of the ball, they may continue to have one of their best offensive seasons since the prime James Harden days.