The Rockets have been in plenty of close games this season.
Unfortunately, Houston has struggled in those games, and they currently are one of the NBA's worst teams in the clutch this season. Despite playing the second-most clutch minutes in the NBA (144), the Rockets own just a 14-16 record in clutch games, and that 47% win percentage ranks in the bottom 10 in the NBA.
Even with Kevin Durant, one of the league's best scorers and closers of all time, Houston still has yet to figure out how to close games down the stretch.
Houston's clutch stats
The numbers behind the Rockets being one of the league’s worst teams in the clutch this season (<5 mins remaining, within 5 pts)…
— Steven Adams Stats (@funakistats) February 22, 2026
♦️144 total minutes (2nd in NBA)
♦️14-16 record | 47% win% (20th)
♦️1.08 pts per poss (22nd)
♦️1.17 pts per poss conceded (24th)
♦️-8.8 net rating… pic.twitter.com/FrxseEGVPb
In addition to its low win percentage in clutch games, the Rockets also rank toward the bottom of the league in numerous clutch categories. Perhaps the most glaring is Houston's net rating, which is the fifth-worst in the NBA at -8.8 in the clutch.
Among the teams worse than them include the tanking Pelicans and Kings, whom the Rockets have both lost clutch games to this season after holding a sizeable lead. The only contending team even close to the Rockets is the Nuggets, who have a -9.9 rating in the clutch. Denver's low rating is a bit more understandable, as Nikola Jokic missed over a month for Houston's conference rival.
While the Rockets have felt Fred VanVleet's absence, Houston's poor clutch rating can't just be attributed to injuries like Denver's. Opponents have scored 66 points off Houston's turnovers in the clutch this season, the worst mark in the NBA. The Rockets also have the third-worst assist-to-turnover ratio in the clutch (1.16), and while VanVleet helps with some of that, his presence doesn't single-handedly reverse all of that.
Overall, Houston has clearly been a step behind the NBA's other contenders in the clutch. The Rockets are scoring 1.08 points per clutch possession while allowing 1.17, both ranking in the bottom-10. At this point in the season, their clutch struggles are proving to be a real weakness for Houston, and it'll have to hope it doesn't get exposed in the playoffs.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Houston Rockets ranked as one of NBA's worst teams in the clutch