Following a victory over the Miami Heat, the Houston Rockets are preparing for a road trip. The Rockets will face the Chicago Bulls as part of this trip.
Rockets’ Road Schedule Intensifies
The Houston Rockets are about to begin their second-to-last road trip of the season. The trip consists of four consecutive games away from home, after which they will return to Toyota Center for a pair of games. Following this, they have two more road games, including one against Kevin Durant in Phoenix, and then three home games to finish the season. The Rockets only have two remaining back-to-backs, and both will be played at home.
The games are increasingly important. Houston needs to win almost all of their remaining games to secure a top 4 seed.
Playoff Picture and Tiebreakers
The Houston Rockets will probably be favoured in at least ten of their final 12 games, based on current form. Without the tiebreak, catching the Lakers appears impossible as LA has stopped losing. Denver also holds the tiebreak over Houston, but they still have games against OKC and San Antonio.
Sheppard’s Impact and Eason’s Mistake
The question is whether the Houston Rockets have improved since Reed Sheppard joined the starting lineup. It took a lucky bounce for them to defeat the Miami Heat on Saturday night. Also, the Rockets were only in that situation because Tari Eason, the player Sheppard replaced in the starting lineup, made a poor play late in the game. This is not the first time he has made such a mistake.
The Rockets face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.