We’ve entered the home stretch of the NBA regular season and so this week we’ll take a look at the NBA power rankings and how the experts feel about the Houston Rockets at this stage of the season. The Rockets have been consistent in many aspects on the court this year so let’s see if that carries over to how they are ranked among the rest of the Association.
ESPN (No. 4)
The Rockets have been a consistently good defensive team this season. Offensively they’ve struggled at times but in all, it's been good enough to hold the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference for the bulk of the regular season. A strong finish down the stretch these last two weeks will keep them in second place in the conference while holding off the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers.
ESPN NBA Writer Michael Wright (from Mar 26):
“The Rockets usually don't squander prime opportunities for victories but that wasn't the case Sunday against the Nuggets despite three-time MVP Nikola Jokic sitting out due to an ankle injury. However, Jamal Murray ran roughshod through the Rockets' defense, dropping 39 points to end Houston's nine-game winning streak. Houston coach Ime Udoka called the performance "sloppy" at a time when the Rockets are looking to tighten key areas for the postseason. Houston has established a physical, defense-first identity that Udoka needs his team to fully embrace in closing out the regular season.”
NBA.COM (No. 4)
The league's website and its writers also agree that Houston is the fourth-strongest team in the NBA. While the Rockets have done a lot of winning recently, one pattern has been prevalent, that is troubling. The games they’ve lost over the past couple of weeks have come to teams they could meet in the playoffs. Beating the teams you’re supposed to beat is good, but Houston needs to build its confidence against the important teams that will still be playing later this month.
NBA.COM Advanced Stats Writer John Schuhmann (from Mar 31):
“The Rockets rank in the top five on both ends of the floor over the 12-1 stretch, with the bigger improvement obviously coming on offense. The improvement has been mostly about shooting (both in the paint and outside it), but the Rockets have also somehow been a better offensive rebounding team over these last 13 games (offensive rebounding percentage of 38.4%) than they were prior (36.2%).
“All 12 of the wins in this stretch have come against teams with losing records, and the Rockets’ last win over a team that’s currently over .500 was Feb. 25 vs. Milwaukee. They still have some work to do to secure the 2 seed, with six of their remaining seven games within the top eight in the West. They’re 12-10 (third best) within the top eight but have lost five of their last six games against the group, having allowed more than 121 points per 100 possessions over those five losses.”
HoopsHype (No. 4)
If it wasn’t clear before, this is Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun’s squad and they’ve continued to prove that as the postseason nears. Sengun appeared in his first All-Star game this year and Green leads the team in scoring (21.5ppg) but he’ll need to show and prove in his first playoff series. Of all the good Houston has accomplished this season, the one thing they lack an abundance of is postseason experience. The Rockets are led by one of the youngest cores in the league and that’s where the spotlight will be, come playoff time.
HoopsHype Writer Michael Shearer (from Mar 31):
“The Rockets have won 12 of their last 13 games, and while it’s been almost exclusively against teams that smell like microwaved salmon, it’s hard to be too upset with any winning stretch this significant.
“They’re doing it with a well-balanced, egalitarian approach. Certainly, they’ve had big games from individuals like Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, but the March-long stats don’t show anything wildly unsustainable on the offensive end besides some better-than-usual long-range shooting from several players. It’s been an ensemble effort, aided by some opponents who are more interested in the Rockets winning than in getting a “W” themselves.”
Bleacher Report (No. 4)
For most of the season, the Rockets have occupied that No. 2 spot in the WC. That had a spell where the injury bug had bitten hard without letting go for a few weeks and had fallen back to fifth place in the conference. But now the Rockets are back on track and have regained their edge in the race for the second seed in the playoffs.
Bleacher Report NBA Writer Andy Bailey (from Mar 28):
“A couple weeks ago, it felt like the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets were all in the mix for the West's second seed. Now, it seems like the Rockets might be the one team of those four that actually wants it.”