Entering what they’ve internally called the second phase of a franchise rebuild, an 0-3 start to the 2023-24 NBA regular season probably isn’t what the Houston Rockets had envisioned.
But things have increasingly looked better. After being blown out in last week’s opener in Orlando, the Rockets held fourth-quarter leads on Friday in San Antonio and in Sunday’s home opener versus Golden State. The question is when they will finish the job.
Some potential good news comes in the form of Wednesday’s opponent. The visiting Charlotte Hornets (1-2) are widely viewed as one of the league’s worst teams, and that could give Ime Udoka’s Rockets an ideal opportunity to get off the schneid.