Intensity missing on defense at the start
The challenge is not in identifying the problem. The Rockets were very good at that on Sunday. Less clear was whether they viewed it as an ongoing issue or a bad day or two at the office.
The Rockets began Sunday’s game against the Mavericks with the dangerous combination of poor defense and sloppy offense, sending Dallas to a flying start that the Rockets never entirely overcame.
There were understandable mitigating factors with a day game coming after an emotional late-night West Coast game on Friday. But the Rockets had recognized the Mavericks as a high-powered offensive team that starts fast. It cannot be a trap if you see it coming.
“Our defense was not where it needed to be from the beginning of the game,” Rockets forward P.J. Tucker said. “We knew they were one of the best first-half teams in the league. We had to assert ourselves early and we didn’t. They scored 12 points the first couple minutes. A 40-point quarter kills you. We’re even after that so the first quarter kills us.”
The damage done early, starting with turnovers on the Rockets’ first three possessions of the day, all leading to points on the other end, was clear. But this was no aberration.
The Mavericks’ 45 first-quarter points were one shy of the most a team has scored against the Rockets in a quarter this season. If the Rockets thought that was an anomaly, the Miami Heat, who scored 46 in the opening quarter last month, are in town Wednesday to offer a
reminder.
The Heat’s 26-4 romp to open that early Sunday start remains the mother of all Rockets’ duds. But this is an ongoing issue.
The Rockets’ net rating in the first quarter ranks 24th in the NBA as they get outscored by 6.6 points per 100 possessions in the opening quarter. The Rockets outscore opponents by 9.7 points per 100 possessions the rest of the way. They have trailed at the end of the first quarter in each of their past four games.
Opponents have made 47.9 percent of their shots in the first quarter, ranking the Rockets 21st in field goal percentage defense to start games. The 29 points the Rockets allow per game in the opening quarter ranks 23rd, improving only to 20th when accounting for the high pace and extra possessions of their games.
“We try to have 25-point quarters,” Tucker said. “Keep them to 25 points every quarter, we have a chance and will probably win the game. Our defense has to be better. When we play defense, we win, period.”
Considering their own offensive strength, ranking third offensively even after the three-game losing streak and with the absence of Eric Gordon leaving an increasingly conspicuous void, Tucker’s point seems indisputable. The Rockets allow 105.9 points per 100 possessions in wins, 113.6 in losses.
Still, the difference is not just because a good offensive team can set itself up to win by defending well. With the Rockets, how they start has become increasingly telling.
In the three-game losing streak, teams have made 55.8 percent of their shots, 44 percent of their 3s, to average 34.3 first-quarter points, ranking the Rockets 28th defensively in points allowed in the opening quarter in that stretch.
In the first quarter of games in an eight-game winning streak that came before the recent slump, Rockets opponents made 41.7 percent of their shots, 32 percent of their 3s while averaging 25.5 points, placing them sixth in scoring defense in that stretch.
“We give up a 16-0 run in the first quarter (on Sunday); we come back from that,” guard James Harden said. “We just can’t put ourselves in that position.”
In the past two games, the Rockets’ offense made things more difficult for the defense. Against the Clippers, five minutes into the second quarter, the Rockets were outscored 13-2 off nine turnovers. They committed six the rest of the game. On Sunday against the Mavericks, the Rockets were outscored 12-3 off seven turnovers in the first quarter. They committed four the rest of the game.
“We put up 123 points shooting bad and not attacking great,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “Yeah, I guess we could have scored 150, maybe. But you know, we got other issues. I don’t want to lose sight of the issues. We’ve got to guard better, put our bodies on people, get back, box out, then we’ll figure the rest of the stuff out.”
Mostly, they need start doing that when they start playing, rather than waiting for a deficit to overcome. If that was not clear enough after Sunday, the sight of the Miami Heat should provide a vivid reminder.