It had been a foregone conclusion for a while, yet the Rockets had reason to rejoice.
With their 143-105 home victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, the Rockets (50-27) secured their first playoff berth in five years. Houston won for the 13th time in 15 games, stretched its lead over the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets for the No. 2 seed in the West to three games and set a positive tone for a challenging closing stretch to the regular season.
That stretch begins Friday against the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder (64-12), who have handled the Rockets three out of four times this season.
After concluding the 2019-20 season with a conference semifinals loss to the Lakers playing in the COVID bubble, the Rockets won a total of 59 games over the following three seasons. Their protracted rebuild took a significant step forward last year for a 41-41 finish.
Houston got over the proverbial hump this season with a blend of veterans added last season (Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Steven Adams) to a youthful foundation fronted by Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, both of whom are in their fourth seasons and playoff-bound for the first time.
“It feels good to be back in the playoffs, and I’m sure for the guys that have never been there, it’s an accomplishment and achievement,” said Rockets coach Ime Udoka. “But that was our expectation this year, building off of last year. So I don’t think anybody is overly excited.
“We did what we did and have been in a good position. Now, it’s about maintaining that. That’s more of the focus. I don’t think anybody is extremely happy. We’ve got five (games) to go and a tight race.”
Not only are the Lakers and Nuggets within striking distance of Houston for the No. 2 seed, all three teams are vying to secure home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs. The Rockets will close the regular season against that duo, with the tilt against the Lakers capping a three-game road trip that starts with the Golden State Warriors and includes the Los Angeles Clippers.
“We’d like to be as high as we are, so those games are meaningful in a lot of ways,” Udoka said. “It is going to be a pressure situation, which is good for us to sharpen us going into the playoffs.”
The Thunder have won 18 of 19 games following their 119-103 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. They have a three-game cushion over the Cleveland Cavaliers for the best record in the NBA and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Thunder will finish with 70 victories if they win out. The 2015-16 Warriors (73 wins) and 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (72) are the only teams to reach that benchmark.
Oklahoma City has been a juggernaut throughout this season, ranking third in offensive rating and first defensively. Maintaining that edge is paramount for the Thunder as the playoffs near.
“A lot of it is just fundamentals,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault. “That is relevant every single night in the NBA, including in the postseason. Keeping those sharp and top of mind is critical. And as we’ve faced different opponents, we’ve seen different styles … a combination of our fundamentals and then what our opponents will throw at us.
“We’ve played quality opponents for a stretch now and have quality opponents coming up. Everybody has something to play for. It’s good. It sharpens our blade and tests us and forces us to rise if we want to win.”
–Field Level Media
