Charles Barkley sparks debate by suggesting the Houston Rockets may play freer without Kevin Durant, as young stars see a rise in scoring opportunities and offensive involvement.

The Houston Rockets offense crumbled against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night, and Charles Barkley wasn’t particularly impressed. Kevin Durant sat out Game 1 of the Western

The Houston Rockets' first round series against the Los Angeles Lakers has gotten plenty of national attention, and the top basketball show in the country analyzed the latest push from Houston.

The Rockets didn’t just drop Game 1. They caught heat. Plenty of it. Following a 107-98 road loss to the Lakers, Charles Barkley didn’t hold back while analyzing Houston’s offense on ESPN’s Inside the NBA.

The Rockets did not play well against the Lakers in Game 1 on Saturday night and Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith were brutally honest about that on "Inside the NBA" after the loss.

Without VanVleet, the Rockets ranked in the Bottom 10 in the league in assists at only 25.4 per game during the regular season. Despite that, Houston went 52-30 on the year and finished fourth in the Western Conference team standings. Barkley said that the record was fool's gold.

LeBron James had 28 points and the Los Angeles Lakers eliminated Houston with a 98-78 win in Game 6 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series by holding the Rockets to a season low in poi