The Phoenix Suns’ sensational season continued Friday night as they went to New York and defeated the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Another brilliant result that moves them closer to the sixth seed and an automatic spot in the post-season. The team directly above them?
The Houston Rockets, who are starting to show some of the same issues as previous Suns rosters with Kevin Durant.
Ime Udoka beats team minus Durant in loss to Portland Trail Blazers
Across the country and away from the bright lights of New York in Portland, the Rockets collapsed late as they lost to the Trail Blazers.
This happened while Durant was on the bench as Portland went on a crucial 11-0 run en route to victory. After the match, Udoka was having none of it.
Making udoka:
“You took a 37 year old out of the game for 2 minutes and you lose a 13 point lead. 11-0 run. Don’t play with any aggression, confidence. Mentally weak. The fact that we have to rely on a 37 year old for 40+ minutes is a problem” 👀 pic.twitter.com/o9Z5vt5R4e
— Oh no, he didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) January 10, 2026
There’s no doubt that this Rockets roster is orders of magnitude better than what the Suns were able to put together under Durant and Devin Booker when he was in The Valley, but the same issues still crop up.
It’s certainly not Durant’s fault that his teammates can’t hold a lead when he sits, while in Phoenix it wasn’t his fault that the organization was in the second platform and couldn’t put a winner around him.
While the Suns gave up all their depth to get the superstar, it feels like the Rockets sacrificed their heart instead in the form of Dillon Brooks.
Once again, this Rockets team looks like it could win a playoff series, but not much more than that at this point. Durant would be the missing piece there, but just like before with the Suns, it doesn’t work that way.
Where the past and present differ, however, is in the way coach Udoka has no problem announcing the squad after the match. We didn’t see that when Mike Budenholzer or Frank Vogel were in charge.
But while the Suns have quickly built a cohesive unit that enjoys playing together and celebrating each other’s success, the Rockets are at fault for what happened in Phoenix when Durant was added.
They are trying to sign one of the best scorers ever, but the fit is not there. Booker himself recently seemed to accidentally take a shot at playing alongside Durant, but there was truth in what he said.
A “my turn, your turn” offense will never work, especially in the playoffs. While the Suns understand that and have moved away from this style of play, the Rockets are currently stuck at that point.
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