Wild race in West leaves first-round opponent in flux
When the Rockets went on a tour of potential first-round matchups last month, sweeping the Nuggets, Jazz and Clippers on the road, they insisted they did not think of any of those games as a playoff preview. The standings, they said, were too tight to think that way.
They still are. The Rockets will begin another stretch of games against teams they could see in the first round when they play
the Clippers on Thursday at Toyota Center, with a back-to-back in New Orleans and Minneapolis to follow.
They are likely to remain reticent on the topic of first-round matchups. Yet, regardless of how the next rush of three games in four days goes, with just 15 regularseason games remaining, there is ample evidence to consider when looking to the postseason.
There could be reason to hope for storyline matchups: LaMarcus Aldridge and the Spurs against the Portland Trail Blazers, Kevin Durant and the Warriors against the Thunder and, therefore, Chris Paul and the Rockets against the Clippers.
The Rockets could revisit last season’s first-round win against the Thunder or second-round loss to the Spurs. The Rockets could open against the Jazz to revisit highs and lows of the ’90s.
When the Rockets left Toyota Center after Monday’s rout of the Spurs for a two-day break in the schedule, seven teams ranked from fourth to 10th in the Western Conference were separated by just two games, making forecasting the first-round matchups be-
tween difficult and impossible. But it is not too soon to see how they could look.
OKLAHOMA CITY
Rockets in season series so far: 1-1.
Still to come: April 7 in Toyota Center.
Careful what you wish for: In addition to the star power of Russell Westbrook and Paul George and the occasional scoring bursts of Carmelo Anthony, Steven Adams is having a career year. The Thunder have the eighth-ranked defense in the NBA and allow the fewest points off turnovers while scoring the second most and the most on offensive rebounds.
Bring it on: The Rockets stomped the Thunder when OKC went to its bench in last season’s first round. The bench remains shaky, and the defense has suffered since the injury to Andre Roberson, with the Thunder hoping Corey Brewer fills that void.
NEW ORLEANS
Rockets in season series so far: 1-1.
Still to come: Saturday in New Orleans and a week later in Toyota Center.
Careful what you wish for: Anthony Davis is having an MVP-caliber season, especially since the injury to DeMarcus Cousins, but the play of Jrue Holiday has been sensational and vital. The Pelicans have the sixth-ranked offense and have burned the Rockets’ switches.
Bring it on: The Pelicans’ defense is shaky, ranking 24th. New Orleans has been especially poor at times in transition defense. Depth is an issue.
MINNESOTA
Rockets in season series so far: 3-0.
Still to come: Sunday in Minneapolis.
Careful what you wish for: Karl-Anthony has averaged 25 points and 13.7 rebounds while making 56 percent of his shots against the Rockets this season. The Timberwolves are the No. 4 offensive team in the NBA.
Bring it on: The Rockets have averaged 120.7 points per game against the Timberwolves this season. The Timberwolves get the fewest points off the bench in the NBA, rank 24th defensively and don’t know what they can get from Jimmy Butler in the first round.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Rockets in season series so far: 1-2.
Still to come: Thursday in Toyota Center.
Careful what you wish for: As the Clippers showed in the contentious first meeting in Staples Center, they will play extraordinarily hard. They bring a dynamic scorer, Lou Williams, off the topscoring bench of any playoff team. DeAndre Jordan remains a force, second only to Clint Capela in field-goal percentage.
Bring it on: The Rockets dominated the Clippers in the most recent meeting. The Clippers are very shaky on the defensive boards.
UTAH
Rockets in season series so far: 4-0. Still to come: None. Be careful what you wish for: The Jazz have the NBA’s second-ranked defense with Rudy Gobert’s rim protection allowing them to overplay on the perimeter on the Rockets’ shooters while getting firepower from Donovan Mitchell and Joe Ingles.
Bring it on: The Jazz have averaged only 98.8 points per game against the Rockets with an offense ranked just 17th in the NBA. Only the fourth meeting, when the Rockets rallied from a 15-point deficit in the second night of a back-to-back, was close, and the Rockets won by 11.
DENVER
Rockets in season series so far: 3-0. Still to come: None. Be careful what you wish for: The Nuggets are the sixth-ranked offense in the NBA, with Nikola Jokic, Gary Harris and Jamal Murray explosive scorers and Jokic a gifted playmaker at center. The Nuggets score the fourthmost second-chance points while allowing the secondfewest. The return of Paul Millsap could solve issues the Nuggets have had against the Rockets.
Bring it on: The Nuggets have the 26th-rated defense in the NBA. Only the Cavaliers’ defense has been worse among playoff teams or teams fighting for a playoff spot.
SAN ANTONIO
Rockets in season series so far: 3-0.
Still to come: April 1 in San Antonio.
Be careful what you wish for: A team built around Kawhi Leonard could look very different with Leonard back. Even without Leonard for all but nine games, the Spurs have the third-ranked defense in the NBA and have veterans led by LaMarcus Aldridge accustomed to making postseason shots under pressure.
Bring it on: Strong as the Spurs have been defensively, the Rockets have scored reliably well against them. Leonard is running out of time to get up to speed.