The Houston Rockets begin the final multi-game homestand of their 2021-22 season when in-state rival San Antonio comes to town on Monday night. It’s the first of four straight games at Toyota Center.
On paper, the Spurs and legendary veteran coach Gregg Popovich clearly have more incentive. San Antonio enters with three straight wins and is only a game back of the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference standings, which qualifies a team for the postseason play-in tournament.
Houston, by contrast, has one of the league’s worst records. With the 2022 playoffs already off the table for the Rockets, there’s arguably more to be gained from losing and improving 2022 NBA draft lottery odds.
Yet, after back-to-back wins on Friday and Saturday in Portland, the Rockets are now on their first winning streak since January. First-round rookies Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun were the leading scorers, which potentially makes for a delicate balancing act. Houston may not want to aggressively chase wins if it hurts their draft positioning, but there are certainly benefits from seeing some of their top young prospects succeed at a high level and build confidence for future years.
Rockets injury report is clean ahead of tomorrow night's game against the Spurs
— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) March 27, 2022