Before embarking upon a brief swing through Charlotte and New Orleans that yielded results they undoubtedly would prefer to forget, the Houston Rockets were lamenting the loss of Christian Wood on the offensive end of the court.
Embarrassing losses to the Hornets and Pelicans in back-to-back contests shifted the narrative a bit. Wood not only paces the Rockets in scoring (22.0 points per game), he is also their leading rebounder (10.2) and a capable rim protector.
Houston has looked vulnerable without Wood in its last three games.
Before the Rockets host the Miami Heat on Thursday, they will aim to address a defense that has suddenly come unglued.