Rockets' Bench Struggles Were Apparent in Loss to Trail Blazers

Houston has struggled to get offense off the bench this season, and it showed on a night when the team could have really used it.

Jan 7, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Houston Rockets guard Josh Okogie (20) drives to the basket against the Portland Trail Blazers during the first half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images | Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

Just because a team is favored to win against an opponent doesn't mean that team should necessarily take the victory. That was apparent for the Houston Rockets in last night's 103-102 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Rockets were the better team at 22-12, but the Trail Blazers took advantage of the home crowd and improved to 18-20 after a Tari Eason tip-in at the buzzer was ruled to be too late.

On the road, Houston was playing a sneakily good team, and this was a loss that they could live with, given how close it was. Portland got out to a lead early, outscoring the Rockets 57-47 in the first half. The final two quarters saw them hang around, but Houston was just 0.1 seconds from a victory.

While the loss isn't necessarily demoralizing, that doesn't mean there were glaring issues in the Rockets' performance. Kevin Durant (37 points, 14-for-26 shooting) and Amen Thompson (24 points, six assists) were catalysts on offense, especially with Alperen Sengun (ankle) out. However, when turning toward the bench, it was a another disappointing performance in the scoring department.

Reed Sheppard has been a great piece for Houston as the team's sixth man, but outside of him, the Rockets are showing no signs of life on offense. They rank 26th in bench points per game (32), and without Sheppard (13.1 PPG), that number drops to 18.9, which would be dead last.

Granted, Tari Eason was inserted into the starting lineup with Sengun out. However, he has been starting as of late, which leaves no excuses for Houston's second unit.

Defense and rebounding are the bench's biggest strengths, but offense is just as much of a weakness. Sheppard put up eight points in Portland (3-for-10 shooting), so when he isn't able to score at an efficient rate, the rest of the non-starting group is essentially shot.

It shows that while Houston is still in a solid spot and boasts the NBA's best rebounding, the team still has noticeable holes that could keep it from going far when it matters. The Rockets are already without Fred VanVleet, so they lack a true point guard.

With the trade deadline less than a month away, Houston isn't expected to make any significant changes to the rotation. However, could it be worth it to entertain the idea of getting help in the backcourt, or off the bench?