Back-to-back woes? As defense slips, Rockets (13-5) lose at Utah

On day two of a back-to-back involving the same teams in the same location, the Rockets found a very different result in Monday’s 133-125 road loss (box score) at Utah. Houston fell to 13-5, while the Jazz improved to 7-13.

For back-to-back maintenance purposes, veteran center Steven Adams sat out after making a significant impact in Sunday’s blowout victory. And after Houston out-rebounded the Jazz by 17 on the front end, Utah completely flipped the script and won the rebounding battle, 50-46, on night two (with Adams on the sidelines).

The Rockets did have some impressive individual statistics, though much of the damage came after Houston fell behind by 21 points late in the third quarter. While Houston did trim that deficit to as little as a point in the fourth quarter, the defense eventually ran out of steam and became foul prone in the closing stages.

“They played harder from the beginning, and they were the more physical team on both ends,” Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said. “They were the aggressor.”

The Rockets had a three-game winning streak snapped, during which Houston had held its opponents to an average of fewer than 100 points per game. To say the least, Monday’s lethargic showing was a different and uncharacteristic story for a Houston squad that still ranks No. 3 in the NBA in net defensive rating.

This was Houston’s first back-to-back of the 2025-26 regular season, though the Rockets have another looming later this week (Friday at home versus Phoenix followed by Saturday at Dallas).

For Monday’s game, key individual lines included:

• Kevin Durant: 32 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 turnovers; 10-of-25 shooting (40.0%), 2-of-7 on 3-pointers (28.6%), 10-of-12 on free throws (83.3%)

• Alperen Sengun: 31 points, 14 assists, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks; 12-of-19 shooting (63.2%), 6-of-8 on free throws (75.0%)

• Amen Thompson: 23 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks; 8-of-16 shooting (50.0%), 7-of-9 on free throws (77.8%)

• Keyonte George (Jazz): 28 points, 8 assists, 6 turnovers; 8-of-14 shooting (57.1%), 10-of-12 on free throws (83.3%)

• Lauri Markkanen (Jazz): 29 points, 8 rebounds; 9-of-17 shooting (52.9%), 2-of-3 on 3-pointers (66.7%), 9-of-11 free throws (81.8%)

It was a dramatic turnaround in 24 hours for George, who went scoreless with eight turnovers in Sunday’s blowout loss to Houston.

With a four-game road trip complete, the Rockets now return home for a pair of games on Wednesday and Friday inside their friendly home confines of Toyota Center.

Wednesday’s tipoff versus the Sacramento Kings (5-16) is at 7:00 p.m. Central, and the game will be televised regionally on Space City Home Network and nationally via NBA League Pass.

More: As momentum builds, Rockets sticking with Reed Sheppard as starter

This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Back-to-back woes? As defense slips, Rockets (13-5) lose at Utah