Rockets’ Raging Rebirth: Seven-Game Winning Streak Ignites Houston’s Playoff Hopes at the Perfect Moment, Signaling a Team Transformed and Ready to Shock the NBA

After one of the craziest games you will see on the basketball court Monday night, the Rockets were able to extend their season-long winning streak to seven games. The Rockets faced a Philadelphia 76ers team decimated by injuries. They played without star players Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George.

Despite the injuries, the 76ers had one of the best offensive performances of any team the Rockets have faced this season. Quentin Grimes, the former University of Houston star, had a career night, finishing with 46 points and making eight 3-pointers.

The Rockets, behind 30 points from Jalen Green and Jabari Smith, were able to come back to cut the lead down to two points with only a few seconds left. After a perfect Smith Jr. free throw, Alperen Sengun tipped in the miss to force overtime, where the Rockets could pull away for a remarkable 144-137 win.

The Rockets’ seven-game winning streak is their longest of the season and the longest current winning streak in the NBA. The streak comes at the perfect time, as the Rockets have started to put distance between themselves and the play-in tournament.

That is excellent news for the Rockets because, at one point, after a loss to the Indiana Pacers on March 4, they were closer to the seventh seed than the second seed. At the time, the teams trailing the Rockets in the standings and the teams the Rockets were chasing were all on winning streaks.

After losses to the Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Golden State Warriors, the Rockets are starting to put some space between themselves and most of the Western Conference field. The Rockets are now a full game up on the Grizzlies, plus they have the tiebreaker, which gives the Rockets a two-game cushion with only 13 games remaining.

The Rockets are still reasonably young, even with players like Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet. Having home-court advantage is more critical for them than, say, a team like the Los Angeles Lakers or Denver Nuggets, with players that have participated in multiple playoff series and won championships.

In such a competive conference each game especially in March and April take on more importance. The Rockets knew that this homestand was the most important one in four seasons and an important test for them to pass. The Rockets passed that test with flying colors.