Thunder Head Coach Explains What Makes Houston Rockets Defense Successful

The Oklahoma City Thunder will take on the Houston Rockets on Saturday night in the NBA Cup semifinals. This contest will be a test of two of the league's best defenses, Mark Daigneault explained what makes the Rockets so tough.

Nov 29, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault reacts during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder punched its ticket to the NBA Cup semifinal on Tuesday against the Dallas Mavericks, with a 118-109 win. The Thunder had to await the winner of the Golden State Warriors-Houston Rockets matchup, which saw the Rockets snap a losing streak to the Warriors, securing its first win over the Bay Area ballers since February of 2020.

So the stage is set for the OKC Thunder to take on the Golden State Warriors in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, for the right to go to the second ever NBA Cup championship game.

This is a battle of two of the league's best defenses, and on Thursday at practice, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault was peppered with questions about what makes the Rockets defense so tough.

"[Rockets] Coach [Ime] Udoka has established a culture of toughness there that is very potent and very obvious," Daigneault said at Thunder practice on Thursday. "He's done a great job. The athleticism of that team. They have electric athletes at multiple spots in size."

"Obviously, Thompson is the one who pops there but Eason is a very scrappy player," Daigneault continued. "Jabari Smith has great positional size as well as Brooks and VanVleet. Those guys are tough, veteran defensive-minded players."

"I think the cultural element of it, the personnel. They play hungry," Daigneault said about the Rockets. "They're playing hungry basketball every single night," the Thunder bench boss added.

These two teams faced off five games away, with the Rockets earning a three point win in Houston, on the last leg of a four game road trip for Oklahoma City. This game is bound to be a competitive one with plenty on the line.

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