Rockets Keeping Pace in Play-In Tournament Race: 'We Want it For Sure'

The Houston Rockets have been the hottest team in the league with a 7-1 record in March, and their success has resulted in a late-season push for the NBA's Play-In Tournament.

HOUSTON -- The NBA regular season is starting to wind down, but the race for the playoffs and postseason seeding has reached its peak. The Houston Rockets are still in the running to qualify for the Play-In Tournament for the first time in franchise history. 

And Saturday night, they extended their winning streak to five following a 117-103 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers inside the Toyota Center. The Rockets, currently 32-35, are three games back of the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers for the 10th and final Play-In spot in the Western Conference.

Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) brings the ball upcourt against the Golden State Warriors during the fourth quarter at Chase Center / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

With 15 games left in the 2023-24 regular season, it may appear that Houston does not have enough time to achieve the feat. But the Rockets have hit a late-season stride, while injuries and lack of production could lead to the Lakers or Warriors finishing the season a game behind Houston.

"We want it for sure," Fred VanVleet said. "I think the common theme is to play good, and everything else will take care of itself. We are playing good basketball. We are playing together. And I think we will have a shot down the stretch. It's right there for us."

The victory over the Cavaliers extended their record to 7-1 in March. They have arguably been the best team in the league, finishing top-10 in nearly every statistical category. Houston has possessed the 10th-best offensive rating (116.1), fifth-best net rating (7.8) and fourth-best defensive rating (108.3) over the last eight games. 

The Rockets have played their best basketball of the season as a team. But the emergence of Jalen Green has played the most significant role in Houston's late-season push. Green is averaging 24.6 points on 49.0 percent shooting from the field and 5.6 rebounds during Houston's Play-In Tournament push.

Against the Cavaliers, Green recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 26 points and 11 rebounds in the win.

"We are trying to make this push," Green said. "We have a lot more wins than the last two seasons, so it is good to see the process of what we can do while trying to make this run."

Coach Ime Udoka revealed he does not talk to his team about the Western Conference standings. Udoka believes his players already know the objective, while his top priority is to continue pushing the team to play its best.

The Warriors jumped ahead of the Lakers for the ninth seed following their 128-121 victory in Los Angeles Saturday night. The win ended Golden State's two-game losing skid amid the absence of Stephen Curry, who scored 31 points in his return from an ankle injury.

Jalen Green Continues His Impressive Play in Rockets' Victory vs. Wizards

Starting with an interconference match against the Washington Wizards Tuesday night, five of the Rockets' next six opponents are against sub-.500 teams. Their lone game against a team in playoff contention will come on March 27 in a road game against the 47-20 Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Warriors have the most difficult schedule out of the Lakers and Rockets over the next six games. However, an eye injury sustained against the Warriors could leave Los Angeles taking the court without Anthony Davis for the next few games.

"If you ain’t keeping an eye on [the standings], you shouldn’t be in this uniform," Reggie Bullock Jr. said. "We got dogs, and when you got five dogs out there playing together and having that dog mentality, it's hard to beat this team."