NBA: Rockets bring 3-point shooting struggles into matchup vs. Bulls

There was a point earlier in the NBA season when the Rockets’ strong 3-point shooting helped offset their relatively low number of attempts from beyond the arc.

That trend has taken a turn for the worse. Houston lost for the fourth time in five games on Sunday, falling 111-98 on the road to the Sacramento Kings.

The Rockets have played 10 fewer games at home compared to the road, a gap that will start to close Tuesday when they host the Chicago Bulls in the first of five consecutive home games. Perhaps familiar rims will help reverse Houston’s recent struggles.

Houston misfired on 23 of 30 3-pointers against the Kings and has shot just 23.4% from beyond the arc over its last five games. The Rockets rank 11th in 3-pointers attempted (37.6) during this stretch, but remain 29th for the season at 31.1 attempts per game. In short, the recent increase in volume has not translated into more points.

“It looks like some lack of confidence,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “You’re getting open looks, but it’s more than that. It’s the effort, juice, energy, all of that. Regardless, make or miss shots, it’s going to happen. If you don’t play with the toughness or competitiveness that they play with, that’s what’s going to happen.

“We’re kind of going through the motions and have some attention-to-detail things that are coming to bite us. It’s a combination of all of the above.”

The Rockets welcomed back center Alperen Sengun from a three-game injury absence in Sacramento, but his presence didn’t make a difference. Houston, the NBA’s top rebounding team, finished with a minus-1 on the glass against the Kings, reflecting the lack of effort that has the team searching for answers.

“We’ve got to look at the rim,” Sengun said. “Shots are not falling, so we’ve got to get the offensive rebounds. We’ve got to play hard. Shots are not going to fall all the time. We’re going to miss and have our bad moments. We’ve been playing a lot of road games lately, and that’s going to make you tired mentally.

“I’m glad we’re going back home now. Hopefully, we can play how we used to play.”

The Bulls dominated the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, winning 125-107 at home for their third victory in the last six games. With youthful athleticism across the roster, Chicago thrives when attacking the rim, pushing the pace, and using an aggressive defensive approach that creates transition baskets.

“We understand how we need to play in order to win, and Saturday was that,” Bulls guard Coby White said. “Play fast, share and move the ball, and defensively try to be as disruptive as we can.

“We know how we have to play to win, and some nights we haven’t played to that in those aspects. We just have to continue to do it consistently and build off this game.”

—Field Level Media/Reuters