The Houston Rockets need to improve their clutch play

The Houston Rockets let Thursday's contest with the Grizzlies slip away.

It felt like they controlled most of this game. The Rockets were up by as much as 11. Give Memphis credit. They fought hard, and they were the better team.

One moment from this game will live in infamy for Rockets fans. Down the stretch, Houston was down 1. They did not need a 3. Inexplicably, Fred VanVleet launched a deep contested three off-the-dribble to pull ahead.

Why?

It was a head-scratcher. It cost the Rockets the game. We can blame VanVleet or Ime Udoka, but this was not a good play.

Unfortunately, it was characteristic of the Rockets' performance in the clutch this year.

Rockets need to improve clutch play

Some Rockets fans are puzzled. They know the Rockets have the most clutch wins in the NBA this year. What is this article about?

Sure. The Rockets are 17-10 in "clutch" games, defined as games that are within 5 points within 5 minutes until the end of the game. They've also played the most of those minutes of any team in the league. That partly explains why they've got the most clutch wins - they've had the most clutch win opportunities.

The reality is that the Rockets' 106.3 Offensive Rating in those situations ranks 19th in the league. Their -1.2 Net Rating is 16th. That's mediocre at best. A team that's 32-15 and 2nd in the Western Conference needs to be better.

How?

Rockets need to make better late-game decisions

Let's circle back to the end of last night's game.

It felt like the original concept of the play was for Amen Thompson to make a drive. That's logical enough. A safe two points was what the Rockets needed in that moment.

Perhaps the play was telegraphed. The Grizzlies packed the paint in anticipation of Thompson making a drive. He dumped it off to VanVleet, and the rest is history.

Having Jae'Sean Tate share the floor with Thompson exacerbated the issue. Memphis did not sufficiently fear the Rockets' shooters. Thompson would have had a better range of decisions to make if he'd had more shooters on the floor.

So, it's partly a matter of roster construction. The Rockets should target a shooting specialist at the trade deadline. In the meantime, they have to work with the roster they have. I'm no NBA coach - and Rockets fans should be generally thrilled with the job Ime Udoka has done this year. Still, he has to sharpen his execution down the stretch of close games:

The Rockets play a lot of them.