The Houston Rockets are red hot.
The Rockets posted a 110-92 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night, extending their winning streak to nine. The win streak is the Rockets’ longest since 2019 and is the longest active streak in the NBA.
More important, the win pulled the Rockets (36-35) to within a half game of the Golden State Warriors for the 10th and the final spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
“For sure, I’m looking at it,” Houston forward Jalen Green told reporters after the game. “I was watching the Warriors last night. We’re making a push, and we’re executing so we’ve just got to stay the course.”
The Rockets have been one of the league’s hottest teams since the All-Star break. They have posted a 12-5 record, fifth-best in the league since the break.
Houston coach Ime Udoka had considered making changes after the Rockets entered the break having lost five of their previous six games, but he opted to stand pat. His decision has been vindicated by the Rockets’ current winning streak.
The Rockets will be tested during their push to earn a play-in berth. They will play at the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday and eight of their final 11 games will be against teams with a winning record.
“It’s about putting a consistent game together against a high quality team,” Udoka told reporters after the win against Portland. “We just want to play consistent basketball like regardless of the opponent.”
At the beginning of the season, few would have figured the Rockets would be in this position at this point in the regular season.
The Rockets were terrible during the previous three seasons under head coach Stephen Silas. They has posted a 59-177 record during that time, the worst three-season stretch in franchise history. Silas was fired in April and the team hired Udoka.
Udoka instilled a defense-first mindset and toughness into a roster full of young and inexperienced players. Those are some of the same elements that helped him guide the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals during his first - and only - season with the Celtics during the 2021-22 season.
The defense was on display against the Blazers. The Rockets held the Blazers to 42 points in the second half after allowing 51 in the first half.
“The thing we talked about was defending at the level that we’re capable of,” Udoka told reporters after the game. “We can always rely on (defense) when shots don’t fall. For them to score 92 and 20 and 21 in the third and fourth quarter, shows that we can ramp up our defense when we need to.”
The Rockets’ second-half surge is also similar to the Udoka-led Celtics. The Celtics started the 2021-22 season with a 16-21 record but finished by winning 33 of their final 43 games.
The Rockets are surging in the second half of the season and could overtake the Warriors for the final play-in berth. If they do, Udoka will be a strong candidate for the league’s Coach of the Year award.