1 Stud, 2 duds from Rockets' painful loss to Warriors

SpaceCityScoop often publishes a "studs and duds" piece after a Houston Rockets game.

This time, the stud-to-dud ratio is off.

That's because the Rockets have generally had an outstanding season. Unfortunately, they've now dropped two consecutive contests. The Rockets lost to the Warriors by a final tally of 99-93 in Thursday's action. Most concerningly, the Warriors were without both Steph Curry and Draymond Green.

Next week, the Rockets will face the Warriors in a rematch in the NBA Emirates Cup Quarterfinals. It's difficult to be optimistic about their odds if they cannot defeat a Golden State team missing their two best players. If nothing else, the Rockets will need some stud performances.

In Thursday's game, they mostly got duds.

Stud: Steven Adams

At least Adams had the best game of his career!

He finished this contest with 10 points on 3/4 shooting from the field to go with 6 rebounds and 3 assists. The best minutes of this game for the Rockets came when Adams was on the floor.

That doesn't mean Sengun is getting the "dud" designation. He isn't. The Rockets' star big man finished with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. He was too inefficient to qualify as a stud, so he won't be mentioned again in this piece.

Still, it was encouraging that Adams came to play in this game. His screening created a handful of good opportunities for Jalen Green.

Unfortunately, he couldn't capitalize on them.

Dud: Jalen Green

At this point, fans aren't worried about Green. They're defeated.

Hopelessly, utterly defeated.

Green finished this game with 14 points on 4/16 shooting from the field. For a star player, that would be a dreadful game. For Green, it's another day at the office.

Am I being harsh? You decide. Green is scoring 19.0 points per game with a career-worst 52.7 True Shooting % (TS%). If that sounds like a player who's on track for stardom to you, congratulations:

You're one of the most optimistic Rockets fans left.

Dud: Fred VanVleet

Unlike Green, VanVleet has mostly been a positive force during his tenure with the Rockets. That said, most of that goodwill was generated in 2023-24. This year, the veteran floor general has struggled.

Last night was no exception. VanVleet had 13 points on 5/16 shooting from the field. This has been a typical effort for him in 2024-25. Between VanVleet and Green, it's no small miracle that the Rockets are 15-8 with perhaps the least efficient backcourt in the NBA.

VanVleet has always tended to launch outrageous threes off the dribble. It's how he's pressured defenses for years despite being small and relatively unathletic. Generally, he's been a threat to connect on shots that had no business connecting. This year, it's been difficult to watch.

As was Thursday night's game.