How The Rockets Can Redeem Their Season-Opening Loss

The Houston Rockets are trying to correct some of their issues and return to their winning ways more consistently. They have a large test looming against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team that gave Houston its first loss of the season.

The Thunder have looked more vulnerable in recent weeks than how they started the season, but they still don't look as fallible as the Rockets have at points recently. Houston must return to doing everything it did well at the start of the season to redeem its season-opening loss to the Thunder.

The Rockets had several things going well for them in that first game against the Thunder. They played quality defense on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's teammates, and they knocked down three-point shots at a high rate. Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant both were effective scoring the ball, and the team was just a defensive possession away from taking a victory over the defending champions to start the season.

A few things are different now for both teams. Jalen Williams has returned to the lineup to give the Thunder a more well-rounded offensive attack and allow Gilgeous-Alexander to be off the ball a bit. For the Rockets, Tari Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith have mostly returned to the lineup despite a few missed games since their return.

A reason behind the Rockets recent slump is not only injuries, but also their inability to hit shots at a high level as they did earlier in the season.

Jabari Smith Jr. has been having one of his worst shooting months of his career, causing his three-point percentage for the season to drop significantly due to his January performance.

Reed Sheppard also isn't as aggressive as he has been in previous games, leaving much of the offensive responsibility on the shoulders of Durant and Sengun.

Amen Thompson has done his best to supplement some of the scoring with his best stretch of the season.

Thompson has found ways to use his athleticism to get to the rim with more effectiveness. He has been finishing at a high level, and he has hit enough of his mid range opportunities to at least force defenses to have to think about it, even if they don't dedicate significant defensive resources to stop it.

To beat the Thunder, the Rockets must find away to keep up offensively, as few teams have been able to totally stifle Oklahoma City's offense. It may function as a major test to determine how capable Houston's offense can be against elite opposition.