Last season the Rockets were 22-60. It was another disappointing year for Houston who has struggled to find consistency since James Harden left. In 2023-24, the Rockets have a new head coach in Ime Udoka and they’ve brought in some veteran help as well.
The Rockets were dysfunctional in 2022-23, but Udoka has the team in a great spot through their first nine games. Houston beat the Nuggets 107-104 at home on Sunday for their sixth straight win. After edging out the close victory vs. the defending champs, the Rockets are 6-3 this season and fourth in the Western Conference.
Houston has a new identity this season under head coach Ime Udoka in 2023-24
6 game winning streak
Defeated the defending champs
The vibe is different in H-Town pic.twitter.com/QVwMZTtqrg
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 13, 2023
To start the fourth quarter on Sunday, the Rockets were down 76-74 to the Nuggets. Houston battled with the reigning champs in the fourth and edged out a 107-104 win. After the game, big man Alperen Sengun noted that last year’s team would have cracked under pressure in the fourth of Sunday’s game vs. Denver.
However, that’s not the case for the 2023-24 Houston Rockets. They’ve added veteran depth to go with the young talent they already had. Dillon Brooks, Fred VanVleet, and Jeff Green have all made a big contribution early on. Battling all game long on Sunday were Alperen Sengun and two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Sengun has gotten comparisons to Jokic in his career and he had a great game vs. Denver. He had 23 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks.
WWWWWW
Count ’em 😤 pic.twitter.com/PmuDh3qERA
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) November 13, 2023
After the game, head coach Ime Udoka also raved about the play of Fred VanVleet in the fourth quarter. The 29-year-old is in his first season of a three-year, $128 million deal. VanVleet has been doing the little things to help his team win and that’s the veteran presence the Rockets didn’t have last year. Houston’s next game is not until Friday night when they are on the road to face the LA Clippers.
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