The Houston Rockets are officially the hottest team in the Western Conference. A win over the Bulls on Thursday night extended their winning streak to seven games, and they are now knocking on the door of the tail end of the playoff picture.
Houston Rockets Have Now Won 7 Straight Games
The Rockets have won 7 straight games. 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/Xs7ryTEJ1a
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 22, 2024
The streak has seemingly come out of nowhere. The Rockets had a solid start to the season, winning 13 of their first 22 games, and looked like they might be one of the surprise teams of 2023-24. But they fell on harder times after mid-December, and were essentially out of contention at the end of February with a record of 25-34.
The month of March has been kind to Houston, though. They won the first two games against the Suns and Spurs before dropping a tough matchup against the Clippers, but haven’t lost since. The first win of their current streak came against the Trail Blazers on March 8th, meaning that it will be at least a full two weeks between losses.
Is it too little too late? The winning has certainly helped put the Rockets back in the playoff conversation, as they will enter the weekend just 2.5 games behind the Golden State Warriors, who are currently planted in the 10th and final Play-In spot. Houston has a couple of winnable games coming up, as they will take on the Jazz and Trail Blazers in the coming days, and both contests will be played at home. Their true test will come next Wednesday against the Thunder, though.
13th Toughest Remaining Schedule For Houston
The Houston #Rockets right now:
7 straight wins (longest of the season)
9-1 in MarchThey have the best record in the NBA this month 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Lg6KBJL7Vq
— Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) March 22, 2024
The rest of the schedule could present some issues for the Rockets if they hope to continue their push to the postseason. They have the 13th toughest remaining schedule, still having to play against teams like the Clippers, Mavericks, and Timberwolves, so they’ll have to be at their best in order to have a chance.
By comparison, the Warriors have the 19th toughest remaining schedule. The two sides actually have a game against each other coming up in a couple of weeks, which will be a home game for Golden State. It could be one of the must-see late-season matchups if Houston is able to keep up their winning ways until then.
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