The Houston Rockets earned their season-high eighth straight victory on Saturday, beating the undermanned Utah Jazz 147-119 at home. They are only 1.5 games behind the Golden State Warriors, who occupy the 10th and final position in the play-in tournament.
Third-year guard Jalen Green led the Rockets with 41 points, built on a solid shooting clip of 68.2% (11 of 16) and 63.6% (7 of 11) from three. He also had four rebounds, four assists and a steal in 33 minutes.
Veteran guard Fred VanVleet also shined for Houston, hitting 10 triples en route to finishing with 34 points. He also added seven assists.
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Here’s a closer look at where the Rockets are in the Western Conference playoff race with 12 games remaining in their regular season campaign.
Houston Rockets playoff picture: Rankings
After their home victory against the Jazz on Saturday, the Houston Rockets now have a record of .500 (35-35). But, more importantly, they’re putting themselves within reach of a possible playing spot. That seemed unlikely two weeks ago.
Houston is now 1.5 games out of 10th Golden State (36-33) for the final play-in spot, with the ninth-ranked LA Lakers also at arm’s length at 38-32.
Houston Rockets Playoff Photo: Schedule
To make their play-in hopes a reality, the Houston Rockets must maximize their remaining 12 games and continue to rack up wins.
Seven matches will be on the road. They are 10-24 in away games this season. They have one game each against Western Conference teams OKC Thunder (49-20/first), Minnesota Timberwolves (48-22/third), LA Clippers (44-25/fourth) and Dallas Mavericks (41-29/eighth).
Their home games include the Portland Trail Blazers (19-52), Dallas and Miami Heat (38-32). A key home game looms against Golden State on April 4, which could well decide which team advances.
Houston Rockets playoff photo: Jalen Green not happy with single play-in
While a play-in appearance for the young Houston Rockets this season would be a huge accomplishment in itself, they’re not just stopping at that and aiming to make the playoffs proper.
Green Jalen made it known after their victory over the Jazz.
“It really won’t mean anything if we don’t make the playoffs. That’s the goal that everyone has right now,” he told CBS Sports.
The last time the Rockets made the playoffs was during the 2019-20 season, when they reached the Western Conference semifinals, led by James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
