The Houston Rockets Have not Lost or Gained Much Ground in the Last 10 Games

The Rockets continue to battle for position in the Western Conference, as the last ten games have not seen much movement in the standings.

Jan 29, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) drives on Atlanta Hawks forward Corey Kispert (24) in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets knew, coming into the season, that even with the addition of Kevin Durant, finishing as a top seed in the Western Conference would be a battle. Year in and year out, the Western Conference is a battle from day one of the regular season up until the last week of the regular season.

The Rockets were one of the biggest surprises in the NBA last season, finishing second in the conference with 52 wins, the most they have had since 2019. Despite winning 52 games, the Rockets were not sure of their playoff seeding until the last two weeks of the season.

This season has been even more of a battle as teams like the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns, who were near the bottom of the standings last season, are two of the biggest surprises this season. The Spurs are 32-15 coming into Saturday's games, and the Suns are the biggest surprise of the season at 30-19.

That makes every game significant as teams jockey for position all season. The last ten games have been indicative of the season so far, as there hasn't been much separation between the top teams in the Western Conference.

The Rockets Have Not Lost Any Ground, but Also Haven't Been Able to Gain Any in the Last Ten Games

The Rockets have a 7-3 record in the last ten games after their win over the Atlanta Hawks on the second night of a back-to-back Thursday night—a much better stretch for the Rockets after a tough December and an equally tough start to January.

Even with the improved record, the Rockets have not been able to make up any ground on the top teams in the Western Conference or distance themselves from the teams chasing them.

The three teams in front of them, the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and Denver Nuggets, have gone 6-4, 6-4, and 7-3, respectively, in the last ten games. That means the Rockets have gained only one game on the two top teams, who are still five games ahead of the Rockets in the case of the Thunder and two games ahead of the Spurs.

The three teams right behind them have gone 6-4 or 5-5, so they have at least picked up one or two games on those teams, but there's still not much separation. There are only four games in the loss column separating seeds 2-7, so it looks like it will be a battle again for playoff positioning all the way to the last two weeks of the season.

Currently, the Rockets are only two games ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are the seventh seed and would have to win a play-in game to make the playoffs. Every regular-season match is essential, and that continues Saturday night as the Rockets welcome the Dallas Mavericks for a primetime matchup at the Toyota Center.