The Houston Rockets Free Throw Shooting Has Cost Them Two Games in a Row

The Rockets free throw shooting has taken a step back lately and has cost them the last two games.

Dec 25, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka watches game action against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets, coming into the season, were seen as one of the NBA's championship contenders, especially after trading for Kevin Durant in the offseason. The move improved the Rockets' middle-of-the-road offense, as they have been ranked in the top five across multiple offensive categories for most of the season.

The Rockets also knew they had to improve their free-throw shooting, as they ranked last in the category last season, a factor that cost them a few games throughout the 2024-25 season. The Rockets shot just 73.8 percent from the charity stripe and knew they had to do better this season if they wanted to become a genuine championship contender.

The Rockets did that just to start the season. From the start of the season up until the end of the November the Rockets had improved their free throw shooting to 78.3 which at the time had them ranked 17th in the NBA. Even though it was middle of the pack it was still a major achievement for a team who struggled the entire previous season.

That was the high point of the year, as from that point on, the Rockets have seen their free-throw percentage slowly drop and have taken a nosedive, especially in the last few games. Since the beginning of December, the Rockets' free-throw shooting has dropped from 78.3 percent in the first two months to 75.7 percent in the last month, ranking 27th in the NBA during that time.

It has been even worse in the last two games, both losses to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Rockets have had two tough losses in a row in Portland, as their 3-point shooting has been abysmal, and their free-throw shooting isn't far behind. The Rockets have missed nine free throws in each of their losses, which has played a big part in their two-game losing streak. In fact, the Rockets had their worst free-throw percentage of the season in Friday night's defeat.

Players like Steven Adams, who started the season shooting the best percentage of his career, have seen their free-throw average drop over the last month as the schedule has begun to catch up to the team. Still, it isn't just Adams, as the entire team has seen their overall field goal and free throw percentages start to go the wrong way.

Every team goes through slumps throughout the season from 3-point percentage to free throw shooting. The key for the Rockets is to not let the slump turn into a long stretch of bad shooting that could cost them more games down the line.