Rockets Limping Into All-Star Break

The Houston Rockets have struggled as of late, but the All-Star break may have come at an optimal time.

Feb 13, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) and Golden State Warriors forward Kevon Looney (5) reach for a rebound in the second half at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets are in the midst of their worst stretch of basketball this season.

The Rockets lost seven of their last nine games going into the All-Star break after only losing consecutive games twice over the first 46 contests of the season.

The Rockets' recent skid has them falling in Bleacher Report writer Andy Bailey's most recent power rankings. The team fell three spots from No. 6 to 9.

"After spending much of the pre-All-Star portion of the season in second place, the Houston Rockets have shown plenty of signs of their youth recently," Bailey writes.

"They lost to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday and are now 2-7 in their last nine games. The wins came against the sub-.500 Toronto Raptors and Phoenix Suns.

"And while it's probably good in the long run for the younger stars to get these reps, it's become clear that Fred VanVleet's veteran leadership is still pretty important. He's missed the last seven games with an ankle injury, but he should be back shortly after the break."

The teams ranking ahead of the Rockets are the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Memphis Grizzlies, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Rockets are back in action on Thursday when they host the Wolves on TNT. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. CT.

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