Houston Rockets Have Dominated Their Division So Far

The Houston Rockets come into Martin Luther King Day at No. 2 in the Western Conference. Something most people people at the start of the season would not have thought possible.

At 28-13, the Rockets are in first place in their division and have the fourth-best record in the NBA, only a half-game behind the defending champions Boston Celtics. The Rockets are on a 56-win pace, which would be their best mark since 2017-18, when they came within one game of the NBA Finals.

Ime Udoka has taken a team coming off its worst three-year stretch in franchise history and turned it into one of the best teams in the NBA in only two seasons. Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun are having the best seasons of their careers and have been a big reason for the turnaround.

That season, the Rockets finished 12-4 in their division and 65-17 overall, which was and still is the most wins in franchise history. If the Rockets finish with 56 wins this season, that would tie the 2014-15 for the fourth most wins in franchise history.

One part of Houston's 28-13 record that stands out is their division record. Even though winning your division does not stand out as much as it used to, it still factors into tie-breakers. Currently, the Rockets are 9-1 in their division, which is the best in the NBA.

They already equaled their nine wins last season, and their only division loss came back in October against the San Antonio Spurs. That is eight straight division wins and shows how dominant the Rockets have been this season.

As mentioned earlier in the article winning the division does not hold as much weight as it did in the past. Before the rules were changed division winners were guaranteed home court advantage but now winning the division only helps in tie breaking situations.

This could come into play as the Western Conference is again competitive, and even though the Rockets are currently second, they are only four games ahead of the fifth-place Los Angeles Clippers. The Rockets have six division games remaining this season, with their next one coming January 30th at Memphis.

The Rockets have already won the season series against the Grizzlies and look to clinch the season series on Feb. 8 against the Dallas Mavericks. These days, winning your division is more about bragging rights than anything, but it is another indication of how far the Rockets have come this season

Want to join the discussion? Like Rockets on SI Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Rockets news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.