Blink and you’ll miss it, the Houston Rockets are currently second-place in the Western Conference again. Based on the whack-a-mole situation in the West right now, there’s a good chance it’ll be someone else by the end of the week. The Rockets are the fourth team to hold the spot since the All-Star break and there’s been plenty of swapping places among the other teams as well. It’s been a funny old season for these Rockets and a recent game summed it up nicely.
The 2 Seed Race and Rockets’ Season in a Nutshell
The Rockets’ 2 Seed Competition
All four recent holders of the Western Conference second seed will play on Wednesday night. The Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets will even play each other. The only team that can overtake the Rockets immediately though is the Nuggets. The Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies are each a full game back and are down to the Rockets in their head-to-head records. While the Grizzlies’ battle with the Rockets is done for the season, the Lakers still have two more to play against Houston. They can’t overtake the Rockets just yet then, but that could easily change in the coming days.
Considering how much could quickly change, the point is that the Western Conference standings are a scrum from second down to fifth. Even the current sixth and seventh teams aren’t too far behind, with only the top six spots awarding guaranteed playoff spots. The Rockets experienced a difficult stretch leading up to and coming out of the All-Star break. Clearly, they aren’t content to settle for staying top six though.
A Game That Summed Up Houston’s Season
Representative of the topsy-turvy season the Rockets have had in 2024-25 was the unusual Monday night game against the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers are up there (or more accurately down there) with the Dallas Mavericks as far as rosters overwhelmed with injuries. Even so, they made the Rockets work for an overtime victory. Not just any overtime victory either. The Rockets recovered from a 25-point deficit. The game was the largest comeback in Rockets franchise history.
It was yet another example of the Rockets pulling out clutch wins this season, but only getting into clutch situations by playing down to the opposition in the first place. Still, despite how they may wind up in them, the Rockets being able to prevail in clutch moments is a significant improvement from years gone by.
There was another positive attribute of the Rockets’ 2024-25 season that was on display against the Sixers. The Rockets’ have found success this season by leaning on a varied assortment of offensive contributors. Against the Sixers, Jabari Smith Jr. scored 30 off the bench and played the whole of overtime. The Rockets’ offense generally revolves around Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green. Routinely though, less emphasised players will chip in with big offensive nights. However, this is the NBA where just about any player can give you 30 on a given night. The Rockets’ offense happens to be dysfunctional enough that the team regularly has to rely on the phenomenon.
How the Rockets Got to the 2 Seed
Of course, it’s the Rockets’ defense that has justifiably earned the most attention this season. That didn’t look stellar giving up 137 to the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Sixers. For one thing, Quentin Grimes continued to make his case as this year’s late 2022-23 Mikal Bridges. He had a career night in the eventual loss, cleanly netting contested nuke after nuke. But Rockets head coach Ime Udoka stuck to his philosophy. Even as late as overtime, Houston refused to double. The result was Dillon Brooks joining Tari Eason and fouling out of the game. But a win is a win, albeit over a hospital team.
Houston has two more games to play against both the Lakers and the Nuggets this season. If the Rockets want to stay in contention for the two-seed, they’ll have to play a more focused brand of basketball. Their track record this season suggests they can. The Rockets are 24-7 versus teams at .500 or better this season. They’re also 26-16 in the Western Conference and 21-9 in games decided by less than 10 points.
The Last Word
It’s been a nutty season for the Rockets. Originally expected to vie for a play-in spot, they made an early case for themself as a top team in the West. Then, as many predicted, they started to struggle and slide back down the standings… only to suddenly find themselves back as the two-seed again. Young star Amen Thompson may be returning sooner than expected and the team has won seven in a row. Where they’ll finally end up is anyone’s guess, but the 2024-25 Houston Rockets have proven they’re a tough nut to crack.
Photo credit: © Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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