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HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets beat the Utah Jazz 125-118 on Friday night at Toyota Center for their third straight win, and Fred VanVleet still walked off unhappy with how they got there.
VanVleet said it was not a good performance and gave the 1-12 Jazz credit for the energy they brought. He said Houston has to play better than that to compete in the NBA Cup. The Rockets are 1-1 in West Group A with two group games left.
“We didn’t really answer the test, but we did enough to win,” VanVleet said.
What Utah Did To Houston In The Third Quarter
Houston led 63-53 at halftime and 65-53 a minute into the third quarter. Rockets coach Ime Udoka said his team was just going through the motions after that, and Utah outscored the Rockets 34-12 over the next seven minutes. The Jazz tied it with a 9-0 run, went ahead with an 11-0 run, and led 87-77 when Ace Bailey hit a transition 3-pointer with 3:31 left in the period.
Udoka said VanVleet was angry with the unit on the floor during that stretch. He said the guard let all of them hear it and got himself going in the process.
“So we ran him a little bit longer in the third; loved the energy he brought,” Udoka said.
VanVleet scored 10 of his 17 points in the third quarter. Seven came in a three-minute stretch, on a 3-pointer from Kevin Durant, a pull-up jumper, and two free throws, while Alperen Şengün scored eight. Houston ran off 14 straight points, closed the quarter on a 15-2 run, and led 92-89 going into the fourth.
Alperen Şengün Explains Why Fred VanVleet Is The Admiral
Şengün finished with 43 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists on 17-of-24 shooting, with 15 of those points in the third quarter. He joined Hakeem Olajuwon and Yao Ming as the only Rockets with at least 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists on 70% shooting in a game.
“He played all right,” VanVleet said.
Şengün said other Rockets have started to speak up when the team goes flat, himself included, but that they call VanVleet the Admiral for a reason. He said VanVleet wakes everybody up and then plays hard himself.
“Freddie, he’s always there for us. Fired the team up when we’re sleeping,” Şengün said. “Fred has always been that guy; that’s what we need.”
The Rockets led by nine with 7:12 left, and Utah still got within 121-118 on Mo Bamba’s cutting layup with 1:12 to go. After the Jazz missed a transition layup with 37 seconds left, VanVleet lost the ball, got it back, and spun in a floater off the glass as the shot clock expired. That made it 123-118 with 11.9 seconds left, and Durant’s two free throws finished it.
Fred VanVleet’s First Season Back From Knee Surgery
VanVleet missed all of last season after tearing his right ACL during a workout in September 2025. He said he is not judging his body by his performances yet, that he is looking for more efficiency and consistency, and that the plan is working.
He shot 6-of-11 Friday, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range, in nearly 34 minutes. Houston visits the Washington Wizards on Sunday at 6 p.m. CT.
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