After struggling through an early 4-7 start to the season, the Rockets suddenly find themselves back over .500 and winners of four straight games. Those wins all came against teams .500 or better (Pacers, Nuggets, Warriors and Kings) and have showcased much-improved defense from the Rockets.
Much has been made about the removal of Carmelo Anthony from the rotation (and soon, the team entirely), and with the Rockets nearing full health, they have taken off in recent weeks. As a result of strong defensive play from unheralded rookie Gary Clark, along with both James Harden and Chris Paul getting into a groove, the Rockets have quietly been one of the best teams this month.
Since November 1, the Rockets own the league’s sixth ranked offense and seventh ranked defense, giving them a net rating of 6.7, good for fifth in the league. As a result of this strong play on both ends, they are 7-2 during this stretch and face a relatively easy schedule to end the month.
Another key development for the Rockets is that the top of the Western Conference hasn’t been all that consistent recently. The Warriors are dealing with some turmoil and the Trail Blazers have lost two straight games as they begin a road trip. In fact, at 8-7, the Rockets are just three games back of the first-seeded Warriors.
There’s a lot more time left in the season for all of the potential playoff teams in the West, but it certainly looks like the Rockets have finally found their footing and ideal rotation. They will likely make an additional move to add another piece to the puzzle at some point, and seem well positioned to compete for a top seed in the conference from this point on.
How do you think the Rockets will fare the rest of the season? Vote in the poll below and share your thoughts in the comment section!
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2nd
4-6 denver, nuggets, blazers are all better.
No, they arent.
Rockets are done lmao, cant guard anyone now ariza and luc mbah a moute left. Old cp3 and harden arent gonna get it done. Warriors this year, lakers next year with durant and davis.
They are good for Rockets, but I think they are overrated. They both are just above average defender with size and below average 3pt shooting in the playoffs. Tucker is better than them both in defense and 3pt shooting. Rockets now have James Ennis, who is better than Luc, and an emerging Gary Clark.
Losing Ariza and Mbah isn’t going to break the Rockets. They didn’t spend the money to resign them because it was obvious they could be just as good without overpaying average guys. They just had a slow start, losing Melo always helps too. They will be a top three seed without struggle.
They were just off to a slow start and Harden wasn’t healthy until recently, and I think they’ll be the two seed. They’ve got zero chance of overtaking the Warriors so it doesn’t matter too much anyway.
4th
Their D is back, Bzdelik is back, Melo gone. Their 7-game tuff-defense streak was as good as their opening streak was bad.
They will probably pick their spots and not get the highest seed. But close
They are probably still the 2nd best in the west, but it doesn’t matter… they aren’t close to the Warriors and are like 5th best in the NBA overall.