Sometimes, basketball is as simple as who makes their shots as the Rockets learned Friday night in Brooklyn. The Rockets couldn't buy a three-pointer (12 of 48 or 25%) while the Nets seemingly were shooting into the Pacific Ocean (19 of 32 or 59.4%). Houston certainly has a lot to clean up defensively (like in transition where they allowed the Nets to go 7 for 8 on fastbreak opportunities), but the disparity in how they seem to be the coldest team every night squaring off against the hottest team doesn't read as something sustainable. The Rockets are shooting 31% from three-point range (74/239) while their opponents have shot 43.2% from three (86/199) this season.

The Rockets actually started off the game playing really well and seemingly focused defensively, tallying a 15-point lead with 8:21 remaining in the 2nd quarter. That lead quickly evaporated as Houston went 1-8 from three-point range and turned the ball over 5 times to allow the Nets to go on a 14-1 run to end the half. From there, the Rockets never quite recovered.

Houston made a run in the fourth quarter to get the lead down to 6, but after a sequence in which P.J. Tucker tried to draw a charge and wasn't whistled followed by a Jarrett Allen layup and Kyrie Irving three, the lead was back up to 11 for the Nets and the Rockets never made another strong charge.

Star of the game: A better phrasing for this category tonight may be "Who played the least bad?" for which the honor goes to Danuel House, who tallied 15 points tonight on 6 of 10 shooting from the field and 3 of 6 shooting from three-point range. House has become a wildly reliable shooter and contributor for the Rockets this season and has placed any doubts about his starting role to bed. His energy, floor spacing, ball-handling, and rebounding have been major assets to Houston this season.

Honorable mention: If James Harden had shot just a little bit better than 2 for 16 from three-point range tonight, the Rockets win this game and there's no way he's not the star of the game. While it seemed like Harden's shooting struggles had gone away after last game, they came back to haunt him tonight in a major way. It's highly unlikely Harden finishes the season shooting under 20% from three-point range, but the Rockets need him to turn it around quickly.

Key moment: Houston allowed Brooklyn to go on a 14-1 run to end the first half, resulting in the loss of their double-digit lead.

Up next: The Rockets travel to Miami on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. to take on the Heat.