Rockets' scoring slump meets surging Hornets. Can Houston find its offense against Charlotte's improved defense, or is another disappointing loss inevitable?
The previous game between these teams came just two weeks ago, where Houston failed to reach 100 points on back to back nights. A disappointing loss at home that was previously covered on Roundtable.
This lack of scoring has started to become an unfortunate trend for this 2026 Rockets team. After never failing to put up triple digits as a team before the new year, they’ve now been held under 100 points in five different games through January and February.
Houston’s offensive woes have been problematic, but that becomes even more concerning when looking at Charlotte’s improved play.
While they’re still 11th in opponents point per game, they’ve been steadily climbing up in that category. NBA Stats shows that they were 22nd in the league on New Year’s Eve, allowing 118.9 points per game.
Now to start 2026, the Hornets rank slightly higher than Houston, only allowing 106.1 points per game, per NBA Stats. Not exactly the type of team you want to match up against while you’re only scoring 107.0 points per game as a team.
On the other side, Charlotte has averaged 115.7 points per game this season, with their January and February aligning with perfectly at 115.5 points per game. The 7th highest scoring team vs the 2nd lowest scoring team, as of January 1st.
Despite the Hornets' recent suspensions, Houston still travels to North Carolina with a very worthy opponent on the schedule. It’s unclear if we’ll get to see Coby White’s debut, but we know they will be without Bridges and Diabate.
I personally wouldn’t be surprised to see another disappointing loss for the Rockets, as they’ve been prone to have this year. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst, I suppose.