'Moment Too Big' for Houston Rockets in Loss vs. Golden State Warriors

The Houston Rockets failed to rise to the occasion in their loss to the Golden State Warriors.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 5, 2024

Apr 4, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Aaron Holiday (0) dribbles past Golden State / Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

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The Houston Rockets are all but kissing their playoff hopes goodbye after a 133-110 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night inside Toyota Center.

The Rockets came into the game with the opportunity to cut their deficit with the Warriors in the standings in half, but they now sit four games back for the No. 10 spot in the standings with six games to go.

Apr 4, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jeff Green (32) shoots against Golden / Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

The Rockets started the game off poorly against the battle-tested Warriors, and coach Ime Udoka made note of that following the contest.

“It looked like the moment was too big for a lot of players out there," Udoka said postgame. "Looked like deer in the headlights a little bit, looked soft or scared, one or the other, and that’s two bad things for a lot of our guys to have and didn’t rise up to the moment.”

As a young team, the Rockets are new to the pressures of competing for the postseason, and the Warriors are the opposite. They've spent nearly a decade at the top, and their experience showed on Thursday night. They were far more ready for the moment than the Rockets were.

However, growing pains are to be expected in any rebuilding scenario, and this happens to be one for the Rockets as they develop as a team. Perhaps next season, they will be able to move a step closer in the right direction.

The Rockets hope to snap their three-game losing streak tonight against the Miami Heat. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

Published Apr 5, 2024

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.