Rockets Schedule Finalized for Conclusion of 2019-20 Season

The NBA is finalizing its plans for the resumption of the 2019-20 season, with 22 teams expected to descend on Orlando for the end of the regular season and the playoffs. And without all 30 teams present, some organizations will be forced to alter their regular-season schedule before the 2020 playoffs. 

The 22 teams in Orlando will be comprised of the 16 teams currently slated to appear in the playoffs along with six other teams within six games of the No. 8 seed in their respective conference. Each team will play eight regular-season games before the postseason, though there will have to be alterations to specific schedules as the worst eight teams will not resume their seasons. If a team in Orlando has a bottom-eight opponent on their remaining schedule, it will simply move onto the next game. 

Houston appears to have a difficult road ahead before the postseason. They will face the Lakers and Bucks–both No. 1 seeds–in the regular season, as well as the Pacers, Raptors, Sixers and Mavericks. The Blazers and Kings are the only non-playoff teams on Houston's remaining schedule. 

The Rockets currently sit No. 6 in the Western Conference at 40–24, 2.5 games ahead of the Mavericks for the No. 7 seed. The final eight games could help vault Houston ahead of the No. 6 spot. The Rockets currently sit tied with Oklahoma City at 40–24, and they are one game back of Utah for the No. 4 seed. Houston has an outside chance of catching Denver for the No. 3 seed, though the Nuggets are currently 2.5 games ahead of James Harden and Co in the West standings.

Houston has logged seven straight playoff appearances in the Harden era. The franchise has not reached the Finals since 1995.