Nearly six weeks elapsed during the 2025-26 season before the Houston Rockets had to play their first back-to-back contests, a scheduling quirk that was objectively favorable.

When the Rockets finally were tasked with playing on consecutive nights, the results were curious.

After throttling Utah on Sunday, Houston played uphill throughout Monday's rematch with the Jazz and fell 133-125. The Rockets led by as many as 37 points en route to a 28-point victory in the first meeting, but they failed to muster the requisite energy to topple the Jazz again.

They return home Wednesday to face the Sacramento Kings on the heels of their second loss in the last 10 games.

"It's the first back-to-back of the year, and you can't make an excuse for that," said Rockets coach Ime Udoka. "It looked like

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