Rockets vs. Thunder Provides Litmus Test

The Houston Rockets can learn a lot after their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Dec 14, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) shoots against Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) during the fourth quarter in a semifinal of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

For the first time since their showdown at the NBA Cup semifinal in Las Vegas, the Houston Rockets will face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have remained atop the Western Conference standings throughout the entire season.

The Rockets find themselves on the outside looking in of the top four in the West, which would grant them homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs, so a win against the Thunder is crucial.

The game also will show the Rockets exactly where they are and what they need to do to get to where they want to be.

For now, the Thunder look like the overwhelming favorite in the West as they sit nearly 10 games better than the Rockets going into the matchup.

While the Thunder will be on the second night of a back-to-back, they will still be a tough challenge to stomach, though the Rockets should look to try and take advantage of that going into the game.

If the Rockets are going to make some noise in the playoffs this season, they are going to have to win a game on the road at some point, and that very well could be on the road at OKC, so this could give them a chance to manifest that before the postseason.

The Rockets haven't played their best basketball over the last month, but this could give the team an opportunity to flip the page, start fresh and go into the home stretch of the season with some momentum on their side.

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