Rockets Take Negative Turn in Latest Stock Watch

The Houston Rockets are currently riding a three-game winning streak, with signature, convincing victories over the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers.

Granted, two of those teams, the Cavaliers and Pacers, aren't world beaters, even in the Eastern Conference. Certainly not the Pacers, who are dead last in the conference.

But they're the type of team that Houston has generally struggled with, as they don't always take the court with the level of effort and energy against teams they deem to be inferior. Houston's other win during this streak, the Lakers victory on Christmas Day, may not be viewed as a statement win, depending on how you view the Lakers.

Sure, they're fifth in the Western Conference, but they are clearly a few pieces away from being able to make a viable title run.

The Rockets are 20-10 and fourth in the West. And 5-5 in their last 10 games.

And according to Zach Harper of The Athletic, the Rockets are trending in the wrong direction.

"The Rockets’ identity is built on being stronger than most teams, more physical on the interior and the boards, and playing defense as well as pretty much everybody. But that hasn’t been the case for Houston over the last couple of weeks, when we’ve seen a massive drop-off in its defense. That trend is out of character for a team that was fifth in defense last season and ranked second in defense through its first 21 games. The Rockets have gone 3-4 in their last seven and have posted the 21st-ranked defense."

Harper continued.

"The only thing they’ve done well during this time is rebound. They’ve been one of the worst teams at forcing turnovers, keeping opponents off the free-throw line and, most importantly, preventing shots from going in. They’ll get back to Rockets basketball soon enough, and looked to get there with the Christmas Day win over the Lakers. But it’s alarming to see opponents score so easily against them."

Houston's defense has generally been their calling under Ime Udoka. But this month, their defensive drop-off has been noticeable.

Houston ranks 17th in defensive efficiency in the month of December.

It'll be interesting to see how the Western Conference shakes out over the next several months, especially as the Rockets are seemingly returning to full strength on the injury front.