For first time in five years, Rockets headed to NBA’s postseason
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With Wednesday's victory in Orlando, the Houston Rockets will officially play basketball beyond the NBA's regular season for the first time since 2019-20. The accomplishment signals more progression for a franchise reboot that began when former star James Harden demanded a trade in the subsequent 2020 offseason.
Led by a core of talented young prospects such as Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., and Tari Eason (each drafted in the first round after one of those subsequent rebuilding years), this is Houston's first winning season since.
The 2024-25 Rockets (45-25) have 12 regular-season games left to play, and they are now 12 games ahead of the Suns and Dallas Mavericks (33-37), who are currently tied for the No. 10 slot in the Western Conference standings and what would be the final spot in the play-in tournament. Houston owns the tiebreaker over both teams, so the Rockets cannot fall below either, regardless of future results.
It's worth noting that the play-in tournament is not considered by the NBA as the playoffs. Houston still has more work left to accomplish that goal, which has been stated by the team as its mission all season.
Teams seeded from No. 1 through No. 6 in each conference qualify directly for the playoffs, while teams from No. 7 through No. 10 go through the play-in tournament (two of the four ultimately advance to the playoffs). The Rockets are currently at No. 2 in the West and have a 5.5 game lead (along with the tiebreaker) over the No. 7 Los Angeles Clippers.
So, mathematically, it is still possible for the Rockets to fall to the play-in range — and thus, eventually not advance to one of the best-of-seven, first-round playoff series among the West's final eight teams. But from a practical standpoint, it's becoming less likely by the day. Basketball Reference currently gives the Rockets only a 0.4% probability of falling to the play-in field.
Thus, while not mission accomplished, that part is simply a formality. The Rockets did post a postseason "clinched" graphic to their social media accounts after Wednesday's win, and it was quickly shared by numerous players throughout the roster.
The Rockets have now won eight straight games, overall, and they are 20 games over .500 for the first time since the 2018-19 season. That winning streak is the NBA's top active streak and the longest by Houston in the 2024-25 campaign.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: For first time in five years, Rockets headed to NBA’s postseason
