On Wednesday night, the Houston Rockets did the unthinkable: They ended their 15-game losing streak against the Golden State Warriors in a 91-90 duel. Golden State’s dominance over the Rockets stretched back to February 2020, but Houston banished its long-standing demons with a defensive win.

With the win, Houston punched its ticket to the NBA Cup semifinals, where it will face the Oklahoma City Thunder for a chance at the final of the regular-season tournament.

Despite the tough win, Inside the NBA host and former 11-time All-Star Charles Barkley had harsh words for the Rockets.

“You have no idea how to play basketball,” Barkley began. “They play the game solely on talent. They should have won that game – they have so much more talent than the Warriors. They’re not ready for prime time, the referees had to let them play this game tonight.”

There definitely is some Barkley’s comments are certainly valid, although the timing was probably better than the team’s biggest win of the season. Houston has a bevy of young talent, almost all of whom are still developing in numerous areas. While the team has been successful with defensive effort and intensity, their offense has taken a bit of a backseat, particularly when it comes to ball security, shot selection and more.

Barkley seemed to agree with that sentiment.

“You have a bright future,” he continued. “But man, they have to learn discipline, learn how to handle the ball, they have to learn shot selection.”

Despite room for improvement, the Rockets are tied for second place in the Western Conference, trailing only the Thunder, who they will face on Saturday.

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