With less than ten games remaining on their schedules, most teams around the NBA are looking to close out this regular season on a high note, including the Houston Rockets, who will have a shot at clinching the best record in the Western Conference on Thursday night.
If the Golden State Warriors are defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, the Rockets will be dubbed the best in the West for the 2017-18 season.
Per NBA:
Possible clinchings for Thursday:HOUSTON clinches best record in the West with a Golden State loss.
WASHINGTON clinches a playoff spot with a win.
MIAMI clinches a playoff spot with a win AND a Detroit loss.
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) March 29, 2018
As most hoops fans know, the Rockets have been on an absolute tear this season. In fact, they’ve won 14 games this season by 20 or more points (franchise record). Currently, they’re the No. 1 seed in their conference with an impressive 61-14 overall record (franchise record for wins in a season). Furthermore, Houston has managed to rattle off 10 consecutive wins, which includes a 118-86 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.
The NBA-leading Rockets became the first team since San Antonio in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season to have three winning streaks of at least 10 games in a season. They won 14 in a row from Nov. 16-Dec. 18 and 17 straight from Jan. 28-March 7.
James Harden leads the Rockets in scoring. “The Beard,” as he’s come to be known, has played in 66 games this season, averaging an NBA-high 30.7 points on 44.8 percent shooting from the field (36.7 percent from beyond the arc), 8.7 assists (3rd in NBA), 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 35.5 minutes.
Chris Paul is just behind Harden in Houston’s assist department. The former Wake Forest Demon Deacon has made 54 appearances with the Rockets this season, averaging 18.6 points on 45.7 percent shooting from the field (38.3 percent from downtown), 8.0 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 31.9 minutes.
The red-hot Rockets will be back in action on Friday night, as they’re scheduled to host the Phoenix Suns inside the Toyota Center at 8:00 p.m. EST. Let’s see if they can keep their momentum rolling.
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