In final homestand, Rockets focused on building momentum for offseason
After playing five straight games on the road, the Houston Rockets finally get to come homeon Friday night. They will begin their last homestand of the season, which consists of three games against the Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Lakers, and Denver Nuggets.
The Rockets were eliminated from the playoffs a while ago. Thus, at this point of the 2022-23 season, the only thing left to play for is pride and some momentum heading into the offseason. From there, they hope it will carry over into the next season (2023-24).
Houston had some success the last time they were at the Toyota Center for an extended period, as they concluded a six-game homestand with a 3-3 record that featured a three-game winning streak against teams likely headed to the NBA postseason.
“At the end of the day, we want to end the season on the right note and with some momentum going into the offseason,” said Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. after the game against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. “We’ve got five (games) to lace them up and take advantage of what we do, and that’s playing basketball.”
Porter has been playing some of his best basketball since his return from a toe injury that caused him to miss 20 games. During the road trip, Porter recorded the second triple-double of his career in Memphis with 14 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds. He is averaging 20 points, 6.5 assists, and 5.7 rebounds over his last 10 games.
What is more impressive is that he only had three turnovers in back-to-back games versus the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets.
Houston (18-59) hopes to end its seven-game losing streak as they take on the Pistons (16-60) on Friday night. Should the Rockets remain in front of Detroit in the standings, it would snap a two-season run in which Houston finished with the league’s worst record.
Come June, both teams are currently projected to have over a 50% chance of selecting in the top four of the 2023 NBA draft.
