Second-Half Collapse Leads to Rockets Ending Six-Game Road Trip with Loss to Knicks

The Houston Rockets ended their six-game road trip Wednesday night in a loss to the New York Knicks.

A timeout by coach Ime Udoka less than two minutes into the fourth quarter justifies the horrid performance of the Houston Rockets inside Madison Square Garden. 

The Rockets' subpar defense to open the final quarter resulted in the New York Knicks scoring five consecutive baskets, which played a significant role in Houston's 109-94 defeat Wednesday night.

"Standing and not executing the play," Udoka said. "Against a team that is very physical and plays with pace, we were standing around and looking at each other. That's where those frustrations were from."

The Rockets' lousy start to the fourth quarter came from one of their worst defensive halves of the season. The Knicks outscored the Rockets 61-48 while shooting 40.0 percent from behind the arc. They held a two-point lead at the half (48-49) over the Rockets.

Fred VanVleet led the Rockets with 24 points on 8 of 19 shooting and 12 assists. Alperen Şengün added 18 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in the loss. Jalen Green scored 15 points on 6 of 14 shooting.

In his first game back following a calf injury, Jalen Brunson scored 30 points on 11 of 21 shooting, 4 of 9 from behind the arc. 

Julius Randle led the Knicks with a game-high 31 points and eight rebounds, while OG Anunoby added 15 points, five rebounds and four steals. New York is now 7-2 since acquiring Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 30.

"We were missing shots that we normally would make," Udoka said. "Being down by two at halftime, we did not play well offensively. I felt we competed in the first half, which was a step up from the Philly and Boston games. But when you are missing shots, there are some frustrations. You have to stick with it and find good shots."

Knicks guard Jalen Brunson drives to the basket against Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Road struggles are starting to become unbearable:

The Rockets ended their six-game road trip with a 1-5 record. But more importantly, Houston remains one of the league's worst teams away from its home court. They have recorded a 4-15 record on the road and are now two games under .500 (19-21) for the first time since their 0-3 start to the season. The Rockets have dropped eight consecutive games to the Knicks and five straight inside Madison Square Garden. 

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Rockets received nothing from their bench unit:

The Rockets had arguably the worst production of the season from their bench unit. They contributed 15 points, with Jeff Green scoring nine.