Rockets Get Well-Deserved Homestand But Tests Only Get Tougher

The Houston Rockets will begin a seven-game homestand Sunday against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.

With a 7-18 record the Houston Rockets now find themselves in a four-way tie for the fewest wins in the NBA following Thursday's 118-109 road loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs (7-18) temporarily avoided falling to the fewest wins in the league by snapping an 11-game slide in what marked the fifth road game in the last six contests for Houston. It's a win the Rockets easily could've had against a Spurs team that has played poorly as of late.

Still, the Rockets have had more wins in their last eight games (four) than they did during their first 17 contest.

Luckily for the Rockets, they'll be getting much-deserved time at Toyota Center over the next week.

Houston will head into a seven-game homestand starting on Sunday against a championship contender in the Milwaukee Bucks. This will precede another meeting with the Suns before matchups with stumbling teams in the Portland Trail Blazers and Miami Heat.

Another meeting with the Spurs following a contest with the Orlando Magic appears to be the easiest chance the Rockets will have, but it's always a tricky game trying to predict what could happen when young and inexperienced teams clash. It also will be far from simple to stop Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks to end the homestand right before Christmas.

Despite the tough tests on paper, the backcourt talents of Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. have proven more than capable for the Rockets once both players get it going. In thrilling upset wins over the Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers during the recent three-game stretch, Green and Porter have powered Houston.

The Rockets will have the Toyota Center crowd at their backs for the longest stretch of the season, but wins are far from a guarantee.

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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