Houston Rockets 'Jittery' in Season Opener Loss vs. Orlando Magic

"It looked like a lot of guys were jittery tonight. [We] didn't play our best and that's not the team we're gonna be," Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka said postgame.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 26, 2023

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Orlando Magic

The Houston Rockets stumbled out of the gates in Wednesday night's 116-86 loss to the Orlando Magic.

The Rockets trailed by one point with just under seven minutes to go in the third quarter, but a 24-7 run to end the frame cost Houston dearly. It appears that the nerves of playing its first game together in front of a loud road crowd affected the team.

"It looked like a lot of guys were jittery tonight. [We] didn't play our best and that's not the team we're gonna be," coach Ime Udoka said postgame. "So we want to get back to what we did in those five games."

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) is fouled by Orlando Magic center Moritz Wagner (21) during the second half at Amway Center. — Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) is fouled by Orlando Magic center Moritz Wagner (21) during the second half at Amway Center / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

The team that showed up on opening night looked far different from the one that played in the preseason. The Rockets went 4-1 in the preseason and appeared to be clicking on all cylinders. However, the idea of that team appeared to be far gone when the game began to count.

Udoka is right. The team can't be "jittery" for the rest of the 81 games in the regular season. Things will begin to settle down and the Rockets will get used to playing with one another. Once they do, it will be less likely that games finish the way they did in Wednesday's loss.

The Rockets are back on the floor tomorrow night when they visit No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. Tipoff is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. CT inside the Frost Bank Center.

Published Oct 26, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.