We’re getting down to the nitty-gritty of the NBA regular season, and the Houston Rockets are in a tight race. Currently standing in fifth place but still within striking distance of the two seed, Houston enters the home stretch with plenty of optimism amongst the fan base.
Houston has more than just a handful of important games left on the schedule, and we’ll break that down. Wednesday night, they beat the Phoenix Suns to increase their latest winning streak to four. It’s the first time they’ve won four in a row since late January, and the Rockets will need to keep that going over the next few games. All of which, over the next eight days, are games Houston should have no problem winning.
Next 5 games (DAL, CHI, PHI, ORL, MIA)
The Rockets are on a four-game winning streak, having beaten New Orleans (twice), Orlando and Phoenix within the past week. With the next five games also being games they should win against Dallas, Chicago, Philly, Orlando and Miami. This stretch of games will be followed by one of the toughest stretches of the season starting with the Nuggets on Mar 23 as we’ll get into.
Knowing this, Houston needs to continue taking care of business against the lesser competition that precedes a rough road to end the 2024-25 campaign. The Rockets are currently a half-game behind the Lakers for fourth in the West and have two head-to-head matchups remaining with the King and his men.
After winning the last four games, there isn’t any good reason why Houston shouldn’t be focused enough to win the next five. Win all those games that should not be questioned before reaching that ever-important home stretch before the postseason. Going from being the No. 2 seed for half the year to falling into the play-in tournament would be disappointing. So, stacking up wins and beating these lesser teams is what the Rockets need to do over the next week.
Denver Nuggets (2x)
Houston already has one up on the Nuggetsm beating them in January, 128-108 in the mile-high city. Their final two matchups of the regular season come later this month and the last day of the regular season in April. Denver is 1.5 games ahead of Houston in the Western Conference, holding down the No. 2 seed. As tight as this race is in the West, with seeds two through five being separated by just 1.5 games, these two matchups will go a long way in deciding outcomes.
Los Angeles Lakers (2x)
LeBron James and the Lakers came from out of nowhere in the second half of the season and jumped up to the two seed in the conference at one point. They’re looking to hold off the Rockets and build on that half-game lead before their final two meetings of the year.
These teams last played in early January with the Rockets getting the win, 119-115. That was before the Lakers acquired Luka Doncic in the biggest NBA trade in recent memory. Since then, the Lakers have taken off and are now real contenders to win the West. Houston is trying to hang tough in that conversation, and getting another win or two over the Lakers could help propel them into the playoffs.
Golden State Warriors
Golden State currently holds No. 6 seed in the western conference sitting 3.5 games back of Houston. The Warriors have been on a roll since bringing Jimmy Butler into the fold. The Rockets and Warriors have already faced off four times this season, including once in the NBA Cup tournament, with Golden State winning three of those matchups.
With everything that is on the line down the stretch for the Rockets, this last game from the Warriors is easily one of the most important games of the season. It’s the veteran-led Warriors against the youth movement in Clutch City. Not to mention how these franchises go back to the James Harden era where the Warriors continuously stood in the way of Houston advancing in the postseason. For a time, this was one of the best rivalries in basketball, and the Rockets getting a late-season win over the Warriors could help plant the seeds to restore that rivalry.