The Rockets' Next Stretch Is Critical To Their Standings Climb

The Houston Rockets have tried to dig themselves out of the hole they dug into by playing their worst stretch of basketball after the start of the New Year. They're still back in the standings, but things don't look as dire as they did in the prior weeks.

Now, they're looking to continue their climb in the standings. However, they'll have to play some quality teams in their next stretch to have a chance at making any progress in the Western Conference.

That stretch starts with a difficult game against the San Antonio Spurs, the West's current No. 2 seed. The Rockets struggled against the Spurs in their first matchup, having difficulties scoring against San Antonio's length and defense. The presence of Victor Wembanyama is the ultimate display of that strength, as his length deters even the league's best slashers.

Houston will then hit the road for a trip against two Eastern Conference contenders. The Rockets will take on the Philadelphia 76ers before then facing the Detroit Pistons.

Both of these teams have had stretches of high quality basketball led by some of the best young players in the league. The Rockets will have plenty on their hands with two of the East's top teams as they look to continue their climb in the West.

Houston will return home after their two-game road trip to face the Memphis Grizzlies with a renewed Ja Morant, before they move on to a rematch against the San Antonio Spurs.

The Rockets must find a way to come away with a positive record during this stretch, despite playing so many quality teams. They've lost against weaker teams in recent weeks, so they'll need their best stretch of play to find as many wins as possible during this difficult stretch. The Rockets are hoping they can prove something to themselves by finding some major victories and putting themselves back in the race for home-court advantage in the first round.

Their opportunities become much higher if they can continue getting production from players like Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. Thompson has been having his best stretch of basketball of the season recently, and Smith Jr. had a big bounce back game in their last matchup.

However, the offense must progress during this stretch if the Rockets are going to have a chance against some of these elite teams. They can't count on rebounding against other top opposition, and they have a chance to prove they can match up with that caliber of team during this incoming stretch.-