Inside The Rockets

The Toyota Center Crowd Has Fueled the Houston Rockets

With each win interest in the Houston Rockets has grown and the Rockets coaches and players have noticed.

Lachard Binkley

Dec 11, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) celebrates with fans after the game against the Golden State Warriors at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Dec 11, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) celebrates with fans after the game against the Golden State Warriors at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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The Houston Rockets are off to their best start since the 2017-18 season as they currently sit at 17-8. After their biggest win in years the Rockets are second in the Western Conference and will play in the semifinals of the NBA Cup Saturday night.

With each win, the Rockets' fans' enthusiasm has increased. During the Rockets' rebuilding years, interest in the team declined each season as the team endured the worst three-year stretch in the franchise's history.

The tide started to turn last season as the Rockets improved by 19 wins and finished 41-41. Even though interest was still lukewarm before the season, it increased with each win. The Rockets acknowledged that fact after a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Ime Udoka talked about the Toyota Center crowd after the game.

"You have to make people want to come by playing an attractive style, a winning style," the coach said.

The Rockets played against the Golden State Warriors, a team they had not defeated since February 2020. This game provided an opportunity to end their 15-game losing streak and a chance to advance to the semifinals of the NBA Cup.

You could feel the energy in the building well before tipoff and that energy continued from the player introductions and throughout the game.

The crowd was as loud as there has been since James Harden played there, especially when it was clear the Rockets were going to pull out the victory.

During the post-game interviews, the Rockets expressed their excitement about the great atmosphere inside the Toyota Center. Alperen Sengun noted how refreshing it was to see more Rockets jerseys than Warriors jerseys for a change.

Rockets on SI asked Jalen Green about the crowd and how loud it has been especially the last two games.

The Rockets have come a long way since losing 20 games in a row and hovering around the bottom of the standings. Rockets fans have been waiting several years for a winning team, and their patience is being rewarded this season.

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Lachard Binkley
LACHARD BINKLEY

Lachard is a lifelong Houstonian who has followed the Rockets since the 80s. He is a credential reporter covering the Rockets and Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

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