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The Houston Rockets’ dominant 137-114 win over the Washington Wizards hiked up their record to 33-35 to remain 11th in the Western Conference. They are desperately trying to chase down the LA Lakers (37-32) and the Golden State Warriors (35-32) for the final Play-In spot.
Tuesday’s win in Washington extended their surprising run to six games and cut the Dubs’ lead in the standings to just 2.5 games.
Sitting 2.5 games behind for the final Play-In spot isn’t impossible, but the young Rockets will have to be near perfect to overtake the Warriors. Houston also can’t afford to just pile up one win after another to climb up the standings. They will be hoping the teams they are chasing also falter.
The Houston Rockets’ goal of surpassing either the LA Lakers or Golden State Warriors isn’t going to be easy, either. To nail a Play-In ticket, they will have to do it without emerging star Alperen Sengun. The Turkish international’s Grade 3 ankle sprain will reportedly keep him out for the remainder of the Rockets’ schedule.
Over the last two weeks, the Rockets have done extremely well with their offensive lynchpin. But, as the stakes go higher with each passing game, it’s anybody’s guess if Houston will not wilt under pressure.
Houston Rockets need to overcome Alperen Sengun’s injury and strength of schedule
The absence of Alperen Sengun for the rest of the season will only make the Houston Rockets’ goal of making the Play-In tournament even tougher. Per Tankathon, they have the 11th strongest schedule left. The LA Lakers are 19th while the Golden State Warriors sit 26th.
Houston still has two games left against "Luka Legend's'" Dallas Mavericks. Jalen Green and his teammates still have to face the OKC Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Clippers, Miami Heat and Orlando Magic. The Rockets are not guaranteed to sweep the Utah Jazz in three games and also beat the Chicago Bulls.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka’s group will likely be the favorites only against the reeling Portland Trail Blazers and home games versus Utah and Chicago. They are expected to be underdogs against everyone else.
The Houston Rockets have missed the postseason over the last three years. To have a chance of ending that streak, they will have to overcome a tough schedule and the injury to Alperen Sengun.
Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Fred VanVleet and Amen Thompson have stepped in in recent weeks. They will have to play much better to chase down two of the NBA’s marquee franchises for the final Play-In spot.
Guess the Lakers players!
