Rockets' Recent Winning Streak Brings Them Back Into High Playoff Race

No one would've expected the Houston Rockets to see this much improvement from just a few years ago. After igniting a rebuild following the James Harden era, Houston has stacked up on talent over the last few seasons into what is now one of the better rotations in the NBA.

The Rockets have built a formidable rotation behind homegrown talent such as Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, and many other young players. To combat the youth, Houston also has veterans such as Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Steven Adams.

While it's a great mix under head coach Ime Udoka. No one would have expected the Rockets to jump from a 41-41 record in 2024 to the near-top of the Western Conference in 2025. Houston has already surpassed its win total from last season, building a reputation as one of the toughest defensive teams in the league.

The Rockets held the No. 2 seed in the conference for most of the first half of the season, but a six-game losing streak in early February dropped them all the way to the fifth seed. In a tight race with the Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, and Denver Nuggets, Houston is merely a bad loss or two from losing home-court advantage in a crowded West.

After the rough stretch of basketball in February that saw the Rockets go 5-7, they've climbed back to a winning record in March thus far and are in serious contention for the second seed once again.

The goal for any top team in the West would be to avoid playing the Oklahoma City Thunder, who own the conference's best record by a wide margin. They're looking unstoppable on both sides of the ball, so naturally any team would like to see them face another team before the Western Conference Finals, whether it be to see them get eliminated or at least show some fatigue.

The Rockets are competing with the NBA's heavy hitters for that seed, and it's impressive to see how they've been playing lately in comparison to teams with more big-game experience, like the Lakers, Nuggets, and Grizzlies. Houston is playing high-stakes basketball at the moment, and the hope is that the team rises to the occasion. Given their winning record in March, the Rockets are showing promising signs.