Rockets to Face Three-Game Test Against Postseason Teams

The Houston Rockets are moving into March with a two-game winning streak after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks and the San Antonio Spurs. Houston won't be competing in collegiate tournaments, but their madness continues with three difficult matchups starting next month. The Rockets are trying to climb in the Western Conference standings by any means possible, so getting through a few tough opponents is a good test for Houston.

Things begin with Houston's first look at the Sacramento Kings without De'Aaron Fox, right after playing him on his new team, the Spurs.

The Kings aren't starting over after losing their franchise cornerstone, picking up Zach LaVine in a trade to stay competitive in the West. LaVine rejoins DeMar DeRozan after the duo separated from the Chicago Bulls. Malik Monk is another solid player for Sacramento, bringing elite bench scoring to the Kings' offensive attack.

Houston lost its last game against the Kings after a monster performance by DeRozan in the clutch. The star guard hit several tough shots to help Sacramento take a tight victory. Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, and Amen Thompson scored 28, 21, and 20 points, respectively, but it wasn't enough to overcome a big game from the Sacramento starters.

The Rockets aim to have a better defensive performance against the Kings as Houston looks to start March with a victory.

Things get harder in the following game when Houston takes a trip to face the Oklahoma City Thunder. Led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City has been one of the best teams in the league. The Thunder are among the top teams on both sides of the court.

Defensively, they're led by Lu Dort and Jalen Williams, who both play aggressive and handsy defense. Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the league's top offensive players and could add an MVP award to his resume at the end of the season.

Houston's only win against Oklahoma City this season was by three points, and it required a herculean performance from Fred VanVleet to secure the victory. The Thunder have defeated the Rockets by an average of 17 points in their other matchups. Houston hasn't stepped up against Oklahoma City yet this season, but they have a chance to change their fortunes with one of their toughest remaining tests.

The Rockets finish this stretch by playing the Indiana Pacers on the road. Tyrese Haliburton is one of the best guards in the NBA, and the Pacers have won four of their last five games. Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner are veteran players who support Haliburton on both sides of the ball. Siakam is a secondary ball-handler and another top-tier scorer. Turner is a strong paint presence on defense and a knockdown shooter when he's hot.

Finding victories against any of these teams will be difficult for the Rockets, but Houston is looking to make real inroads in the Western Conference standings. If the team is hoping to make a run, it will need to win against some of its most difficult matchups to end the season.

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