What Rockets Head Coach Ime Udoka Thought Went Wrong on Offense in Game 1

Apr 18, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka watches in the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While Kevin Durant was out due to injury, it was still a disappointing 107-98 loss for the Houston Rockets on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

The reason why it was disappointing for the Rockets was that it was a winnable game. Houston kept it close for the majority of the game until the Lakers went on a late run and went up 16 points. 

At the end of the day, the Rockets’ offensive struggles were the ultimate reason for their demise. The Rockets shot just 37.6 percent from the field overall while also going 11/33 (33 percent) from three. Although the Lakers were just on fire shooting-wise and shot almost 61 percent from the field, they only scored 107 points. 

The Rockets defense was not elite, but they certainly did a solid job. It was the offense that could not take advantage of their opportunities. Houston even forced 18 turnovers and got 24 off them, but just failed to do the most important thing, which is to shoot well. 

The Rockets looked lost on the offensive end at times, and that created some strong reactions online and across the media. While Houston did not play well on offense by any stretch, the reality was it was a bad shooting night. The Rockets did not change their typical game plan significantly, and have been a one-on-one scoring team for most of the season. 

Coach Ime Udoka took some slack postgame, but here’s what he had to say about the offensive struggles. 

Udoka Breaks Down The Rockets’ Scoring Struggles

Apr 18, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka at press conference during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

“The looks were decent. We won a lot of areas, but just shot it poorly honestly. Had opportunities. Dominated the offensive glass,” Udoka said. 

Udoka listed off the 21 offensive rebounds and 23 second-chance points to just six for the Lakers. The Rockets won the fast-break points 11-4 as well and were basically equal in free throws. 

“We had 27 more shots than them. We just got to convert those. Some were transition, some were put-backs off the offensive rebound, and we had some decent looks from three, but didn’t shoot it that well. It’s hard to win with those numbers shooting-wise,” Udoka said. 

It was a poor shooting display across the board as Reed Sheppard went 6/20, Alperen Sengun was 6/19, Amen Thompson was 7/18, and Jabari Smith Jr. went 5/14. The Rockets had opportunities to knock down shots as they usually do, but couldn’t convert. 

“Outside of Tari, nobody had a good shooting night. Not our best in general offensively. We can take advantage of some things that we didn’t do as well in,” Udoka said. 

Udoka then addressed a key issue that hurt the Rockets in Game 1. That was shot selection. 

“We were a little stagnant at times hunting our own shots. Everybody kind of fell victim to that,” Udoka said.

Some of the shots taken were not smart. Durant would’ve obviously helped out in terms of shot-making as one of the greatest scorers of all time. Udoka answered what someone like KD would’ve given them in a game like this. 

“Efficiency and consistent scoring. On a nightly basis, he shoots that at a high clip and doesn’t have too many nights struggling-wise with all the young guys. It kind of calms them down,” Udoka said. “We run certain sets through him, draw attention, and feed off him at times, but regardless of whether he’s back or not, if we shoot that poorly, it’s going to be tough to win.”

The Rockets players struggled with shooting in a crowd instead of finding other guys available. 

He said the team missed some easy looks that the players usually make. The Rockets needed to take further advantage of shots in the fast break and in transition. Upping their dominance in those categories would’ve offset some poor shooting in the half-court. 

“We’ve got to have a plan on our drives and understanding that they collapse the paint. It felt like we had too many contested shots at the rim over one or two people, and we had outlets there,” Udoka said. “Across the board, there were a lot of easy opportunities left on the table.”