The Rockets have one game left to play in 2025. Unfortunately for them, that team is the Indiana Pacers. The Rockets have lost their last three games against teams with below .500 records. The Pacers have the worst record in the league. Can the Rockets end the year on a high? Or will they carry on their concerning bad teams trend into 2026?
Will Rockets End 2025 With A Bad Teams Problem?
The Rockets defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-100 on Saturday night. A hyper-efficient 30 from Kevin Durant was enough to overcome missing star center Alperen Sengun with calf tightness. The Cavaliers, at 17-16, have had a disappointing start to 2025-26. At slightly above .500, though, clearly it hasn’t been disappointing enough to beat the 2025-26 Houston Rockets.
The Rockets’ overall record against below .500 teams would be solid but for their last three games against such teams. They are 9-5 for the season. That’s actually slightly worse than their 10-5 versus teams above .500. Still, the fact that three of the five losses were their last three in a row suggests a very recent problem.
Explaining Houston’s Record vs. Bad Teams
In Houston’s defense, all three of those games occurred on the same road trip. The Rockets lost to the New Orleans Pelicans, the Sacramento Kings, and the Los Angeles Clippers. Those teams have a combined record of 25-69. They are the bottom three teams in the Western Conference.
With the Rockets’ nightmarish road trip over, the team has had a chance to reset. It’s possible that that, on its own, would be enough to correct the issue. Fans will soon find out. The team will play the 6-26 Pacers in the Toyota Center on Monday night.
The Rockets’ only other losses to below .500 teams were other December away games versus the Dallas Mavericks and the Utah Jazz. Both of those games were on the second night of back-to-backs. The Rockets’ struggles with back-to-backs may not be an entirely unrelated issue. The trend tends to be for the team to go all out on the first game and leave little in the tank for the second. Similarly, the Rockets may just be prioritizing their matchups with potential playoff opponents. Their apparent hope that the talent disparity carries them against the bad teams has looked like wishful thinking, though. The Rockets’ reliance on physicality and offensive rebounding makes them especially vulnerable to any lull in energy.
Rockets’ Bad Teams Killer?
The Rockets’ Christmas Day reinforcement of getting Tari Eason back in the lineup might be just the remedy they needed. Never short of energy, Eason was solid again versus the Cavaliers on Saturday night. He started, played 21 minutes, had nine points, six rebounds, two steals, and a block. Of course, Eason’s high-energy playstyle does have its downsides. He’s managed to accrue nine fouls in only two games back.
But Eason’s foul rate isn’t really a problem for the Rockets. The Cavaliers still only attempted 11 free throws on the night, and only two among their starters. Foul trouble limiting his minutes somewhat isn’t an issue either. The Rockets have plenty of depth on the wing. If anything, the team would like to preserve Eason as much as possible due to his injury history.
The Last Word
The Rockets have looked strong in 2025. They’ve competed well against top teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets. Now they have the chance to close the year out strong in an area they’ve been weak on. Every win will matter when it comes to seeding at the end of the season. The Rockets can avoid a bad time in April if they just stop losing to bad teams in December.
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