On December 16, Beijing time, the Rockets lost 89-124 to the Cavaliers on the road, losing the third of the last four regular season games and returning to normal after seven consecutive wins. The Cavaliers have won nine of their last 11 games, firmly fourth in the East. The Rockets' crushing defeat to the Dark Horse of the East also broke a record for the worst in team history, and you know what it is?
In this game, the Rockets' performance on both offensive and defensive ends can be described as miserable. The Rockets trailed 16-35 at the end of the first quarter, scoring just 38 points throughout the first half while giving the Cavaliers 69 points, reducing the entire second half to "garbage time."
In the whole game, the Rockets only shot 38.5% from the field, only 5 shots in 29 shots outside the three-point line, and the three-point shooting rate was as low as 17.2%! Prior to this game, the Rockets had lost all 21 consecutive regular-season games with no more than 38.5 percent shooting percentage, and the Rockets had also lost all of them in 20 consecutive regular-season games with no more than 25.0 percent three-point shooting. In this offensive NBA era, it's too hard for the Rockets to win when the offense is so much worse.
Not to mention the Rockets' defensive performance in this game is equally miserable. The Rockets put the Cavaliers on 56.3 percent shooting, including 18 shots from outside the three-point line on 40 shots, and a three-point shooting percentage of 45.0 percent. The last time the Rockets let their opponents play at least 55.0 percent to win was October 30, 2019, and after that, they all lost in the regular season that allowed opponents to play such an efficient offense, not to mention that the Cavaliers also played a much better three-point performance than the Rockets in this game.
Poor performances on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends cost the Rockets 35 points to the Cavaliers. The last time the Rockets won with less than 90 points in the regular season was a distant December 25, 2015, which also broke the Rockets' record for the largest loss points difference against the Cavaliers. Prior to this, the Rockets had only two losses to the Cavaliers by no less than 30 points, the worst of which was the 32 points set on December 30, 1991, when they lost to the Cavaliers 89-121.
Don't be fooled by the Rockets' 7-game winning streak, such a performance is a portrayal of the real strength of this season's Rockets, and the more realistic goal of this season's Rockets is to impact the signing and explore the potential of young players by the way.