Leadership of Tyson Chandler shines through in postgame speech

Even though he’s out of the rotation, the championship experience and leadership of Tyson Chandler remains important to the Rockets.

Veteran big man Tyson Chandler hasn’t been a regular part of the rotation for the Rockets since November. And with a new emphasis on smaller centers who can space the floor on offense and guard on the perimeter defensively, Chandler is unlikely to play much moving forward.

Nonetheless, as a 19-year NBA veteran with championship experience, the 37-year-old remains a key part of the team’s culture and a respected voice and leader in the Houston locker room.

That was on full display after Saturday’s big win in Salt Lake City, when the Rockets (36-20) moved into the top four of the Western Conference standings with a crucial 120-110 win (box score) over the Jazz.

In postgame remarks to the team, Chandler said:

Every game, think about what we’re playing for. It’s a shortened season now. So every time we step on the court, we’ve got to understand what we’re building for.

So we’ve got to keep getting better defensively. Because we can. Yeah, we can keep getting better offensively. We’re worried about us getting better.

For the Rockets, it’s the seventh victory in nine games, and it clinched the season series and potential tiebreaker versus the Jazz (36-20). The win moved Houston past Utah for the No. 4 spot, which would mean home-court advantage in at least the first round of the 2020 NBA playoffs.

The Rockets are now within a game of the Los Angeles Clippers (37-19) for the No. 3 spot and within two games of the Denver Nuggets (38-18) for No. 2. Both teams lost their first game after the All-Star break.

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The Rockets will look to keep their momentum rolling when they host the New York Knicks (17-39) on Monday night at Toyota Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Central time.