Rockets return from break with 14th straight loss in defeat against Kings

Photo courtesy of Paul Kitagaki Jr.

The Rockets, fresh off the All-Star break, picked up right where they left off before the All-Star weekend--losing games in blowout fashion.

Houston kicked off the second half of their season with a 125-105 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night, amidst a sea of drama and injuries that seem to be rearing their head at the worst possible time.

First, the actual box score. It was more of the same for the Rockets, who have struggled mightily throughout their losing streak. The team once again shot dismal percentages from the floor and from three, going 41.4% and 24.4% respectively. The team missed their final 15 threes heading into halftime.

It also didn't help that the team's defense wasn't good. Houston native De'Aaron Fox feasted against the Rockets, going for 30 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds. Four Kings went for at least 20 points against Houston.

A lot of that underwhelming play could be attributed to the slew of injuries the team has suddenly been slapped with. John Wall, who was thought to be ready before the game and the following half of the back-to-back, was ruled out with left knee soreness. It was later revealed that he had bumped knees with a teammate in Wednesday's practice.

Compounding the issue was Eric Gordon's injury midway through Thursday night's game. It was later revealed to be a non-contact groin injury, one that required assistance for him to get to the locker room. Gordon wouldn't return to the game, and was preemptively ruled out for Friday's game in Utah. He finished the evening with 17 points.

As if that wasn't wild enough, the Rockets were without veteran forward P.J. Tucker on the evening, after it was previously thought that he would be available. After the game, it was revealed that P.J. Tucker was "frustrated" that he hadn't been traded to a contending team over the All-Star break, and would not play until a trade had been made, effectively ending his time as a Houston Rocket.

Tucker is currently in Houston. Coach Stephen Silas said that he "was under the assumption that he was going to play tonight and he didn’t play. That was disappointing.” Silas also said that the best thing for the Rockets now was "not having him here."

Suddenly, the dangerously-thin Houston Rockets are now down to the league-minimum eight required players for their game on Friday against the Utah Jazz, and that's only if Victor Oladipo plays in the second half of the back-to-back, which he is yet to do all season. The Rockets recently signed Mason Jones to a 10-day contract, but it's unknown if he'll be available for the Rockets tonight.

Despite the myriad of issues the team faced, there were some positives in the loss. Recently acquired and highly-touted prospect Kevin Porter Jr. made his Rockets' debut with the main squad tonight, and certainly impressed despite his limited minutes. KPJ went for 13 points, 10 assists (a team-high), five rebounds, and three steals.

The Rockets, as mentioned previously, will play again tonight against the top-seeded Utah Jazz--or at least, they'll try to, if they can find enough bodies to play. Operating under the assumption that either Oladipo suits up or Mason Jones joins the squad quickly enough, tip-off is scheduled for 9 PM CT.