Houston Rockets basketball returned on Wednesday night following a season in which they finished .500 for the first time since 2020.

The Rockets have a hope this season, one that fans haven’t seen since James Harden led the squad.

Despite that hope, Rockets fans had feelings of the last couple of seasons on Wednesday in yet another season-opening loss.

Houston led by as many as 18, but the Charlotte Hornets remained consistent, battling back to a 110-105 win.

What was shaping into a solid season-opening victory turned into a night of disappointment for the Rockets.

At times, the Rockets looked like a really solid team that has the ability to do some big things. That’s the positive.

On the flip side, Houston has to find a way to play a full four quarters, especially against a team like Charlotte.

The newly extended duo of Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun led the way for the Rockets much to their delight.

Green led the team with 28 points on 9-23 shooting. Sengun finished with 25 and an astonishing 18 rebounds.

Point guard was also a strong position for Houston as Fred VanVleet had 14 points four rebounds and six assists while Amen Thompson had a strong 13 off the bench.

For Charlotte, they were led by their best player LaMelo Ball who scored 34 points and had eight rebounds and 11 assists to go with it.

Off the bench, Tre Mann scored 24 points on 8-16 shooting, something the Rockets certainly didn’t expect.

Houston will be back in action on Friday when they take on the Memphis Grizzles where they will look to play a full four quarters and collect their first win of the season.