Head Coach Ime Udoka On Rockets Losing 5 Straight: 'Slippage In A Lot Of Ar

Houston is one of the best road teams in the league with 17 wins, but the Rockets have struggled recently, losing their last four on the road. Anthony Edwards handed the Rockets their latest defeat Thursday, recording 41 points, seven rebounds and six assists to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 127-114 victory. The Rockets began the fourth quarter with a six-point lead but were then outscored 35-16 over the final 12 minutes. "The scoring droughts in the fourth have hurt us," head coach Ime Udoka said. The Rockets are second in the NBA in rebounds per game, but the Timberwolves outrebounded Houston 47-39. "Defensively, we've slipped in a lot of areas, rebounding, guarding in transition. So when you're not scoring to the level that we need to be, you have to be even more stingy on the defensive end." Point guard Fred VanVleet suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter of February 2's loss to the Brooklyn Nets, and his return to the floor is undetermined. "[VanVleet] is maybe the most important player as a point guard to get us organized," Udoka said. "Experience is one thing, but the IQ that he has and the understanding of when to be aggressive, when to get guys shots, when to get guys into certain spots is definitely missing." The veteran guard has seen a dip in production, marking 14.6 points per game, which is his lowest in the last six seasons, but his leadership is vital to the Rockets' game plans. "Teams want to attack us certain ways or switch up matchups and schemes. He's really good at diagnosing those and getting us in the right sets," Udoka said. With VanVleet out, Reed Sheppard has been able to garner more playing time, recording 17 minutes against the Timberwolves. "[Sheppard] needs to continue to improve in the IQ department... It's a young guy in a different position. He didn't always play the point guard, played off-ball a lot, and now he's being asked to be a secondary handler." The NBA trade deadline passed Thursday afternoon with the Rockets making minor moves, including acquiring center Cody Zeller from the Atlanta Hawks and guard Jaden Springer from the Boston Celtics (the Rockets have waived Springer). "We have a lot of depth and a lot of growth that we've seen this year so far...We want to see who we are going forward in real pressure situations, playoff situations and meaningful games down the stretch," Udoka said.