The Rockets Upcoming Six Game Homestand Is the Most Important in Four Seasons

The Houston Rockets have slipped down the Western Conference standings and that makes the upcoming six-game home stand even more important.

Feb 9, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka talks with players during the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets are currently the fifth seed in the Western Conference with 20 games left in the regular season. If you would have told most Rockets' fans at the beginning of the season that the Rockets would be fifth in the Western Conference with 20 games left, they would have been ecstatic.

When the Rockets reached as high as the second seed a couple of months ago, they were the surprise story of the NBA season. Since then, injuries, bad play, and one of the toughest schedules in the league have seen the Rockets fall back to the fifth seed.

The Rockets have played several back-to-backs in the last few weeks and just completed another one Tuesday night, losing to the Indiana Pacers. To make matters worse, the Rockets have now lost eight straight road games.

The Rockets have one more game left on their three-game road trip. On Thursday night, they travel to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans. That game will mark the Rockets' last road game for a while. They will start their longest home stand so far of the season on Saturday against the same Pelicans team.

The upcoming homestand is essential for a couple of reasons. First, it provides the Rockets with much-needed rest, as they have been on the road since the start of 2025. At one point, from Jan. 7th to Feb. 8th, they were on the road for 13 out of 17 games.

Second and more important, it gives the Rockets a chance to start another winning streak. As mentioned earlier, the Rockets were the second seed and were a few games ahead of teams like the Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets, and Los Angeles Lakers. Now, they are looking up at all three teams, and as those teams win, the margin widens.

They also have to worry about team directly behind them in the standings. The Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Clippers are all with four games of the Rockets.

As bad as the Rockets have been on the road recently, they have been much better at home. They have gone 10-5 in their last 15 home games. They also hope to have Fred VanVleet back by the start of the home stand. VanVleet has been out the previous two games and will likely sit out the third and final game of their three-game road trip.

We will see if the Rockets are able to take advantage of some home cooking as they start their six-game home stand Saturday against the New Orleans Pelicans

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