Ranking the Houston Rockets' Top-Five Opponents to Close the 2025-26 Season

The Houston Rockets have 16 games in the regular season, in the heat of a race to the top three of the West. There are about four other teams that could realistically make a run for the No. 3 and 4 spots to secure home-court advantage in a crowded conference.

The end of the regular season should resemble what happened last year. Half of the playoff picture was determined after the final slate of games, as the third and eighth seeds were separated by just two games. With the Rockets just 2.5 games ahead of the first Play-In Tournament seed, and plenty of basketball still left to play, every game counts.

But these final four weeks will not be easy. Of the 13 different opponents Houston will face, five stand out for a multitude of reasons. Here are the Rockets' five best opponents, ranked, and when they'll face off:

5. Miami Heat (March 21)

The Heat previously beat Houston in Miami on Feb. 28, 115-105. They've won 11 of their last 15 games, currently seventh in the Eastern Conference. They're getting hot at the right time, which could make things difficult for Houston on March 21.

Miami's screen-free offensive experiment from the beginning of the season has since been debunked and figured out by the rest of the NBA, but the defensive pressure hasn't let up. The Heat are fourth in defensive rating, allowing 115.9 points per game. Over the last 15 games, that number has improved to 112.9.

4. Phoenix Suns (April 7)

The Suns have yet to be the Rockets in their three meetings this season. Outside of Jan. 5's three-point victory, Phoenix's matchups with Houston have not been close at all.

A lot of that can be attributed to injuries, as Devin Booker has missed 16 games. Dillon Brooks, the Suns' breakout player, hasn't played since Feb. 21. Jalen Green, another former Rocket, has just 19 games under his belt as a Sun.

Phoenix ranks sixth in offensive rebounding rate and ninth in defensive rating. This team isn't going to win purely on skill, but rather by getting scrappy on both ends of the floor. It's a big reason why it has overachieved at 39-28.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves (March 25, April 10)

The Timberwolves are where most people would have expected them after making back-to-back Western Conference Finals. A team that made back-to-back Western Conference Finals is at risk of falling back to the Play-In Tournament despite being 41-27. But they can also move up if just a few games swing their way.

Both offense and defense rank in the top 12 in terms of efficiency rating. Minnesota hasn't been the best of the best, but in the playoffs and late stages of the regular season, don't expect Anthony Edwards to be anything less than the best player on the floor, averaging nearly 30 points per game.

2. Los Angeles Lakers (March 16, March 18)

The Lakers' lone battle against the Rockets came on Christmas Day, and Houston manhandled them in Los Angeles, 119-96. Maybe it's simply because it's the bright lights of Hollywood, but the Lakers have had so many rough patches, and their weaknesses are clear.

Outside of Luka Dončić, Los Angeles is extremely inconsistent. The acquisition of Deandre Ayton has been a flop, and LeBron James' age is clearly showing. The defense has let up time and time again, so while the Lakers can easily get to the Conference Finals, they can just as easily lose in the first round.

Regardless, they'll be out for revenge in Houston, starting tomorrow and continuing on Wednesday.

1. New York Knicks (March 31)

The Knicks, who have a good chance to make it out of the East, mounted an 18-point comeback against the Rockets on Feb. 21 at Madison Square Garden. At 44-25, they have one of the best starting lineups in the league with a solid bench after the NBA trade deadline.