The Houston Rockets are one of the hottest teams in the league, but have faced a relatively easy schedule recently. That will change in December.
The Houston Rockets are winners of 14 of their last 15 games (including eight straight) and currently sit at 19-4, the best record in the entire league. The team hasn’t struggled to integrate Chris Paul at all. In fact, since Paul’s return on Nov. 16, the Rockets have the league’s best offense and defense (and of course, net rating).
Paul has improved Houston’s shooting, and his availability allows Mike D’Antoni to stagger the minutes of his two point guards in order to ensure that one is always on the floor. This leads to the Rockets having an elite offense for nearly all 48 minutes of a game, something very few teams can also claim.
If there’s one aspect of Houston’s recent play to question, it’s the schedule. While their win over the Utah Jazz on Thursday was impressive, nearly all of the other opponents Houston has defeated during this run have been below .500 or a game or two above it. Now, you beat the opponents put in front of you, so you can’t fault the Rockets for this.
Luckily for Houston (and the fans and analysts wondering how seriously to take the Rockets), the remaining December schedule provides several games to test the team.
Here is how the remaining December schedule plays out for the Rockets:
Remaining December schedule should provide a couple of tests for the #Rockets pic.twitter.com/lJQxugOdDo
— Eric Spyropoulos (@EricSpyroNBA) December 9, 2017
The notable games to pay attention to are the games on the road at Portland, Boston, Oklahoma City and Washington (which will be the second night of a back-to-back). Those are all current playoff teams or teams expected to be in the postseason in due time.
Although the Trail Blazers have been struggling recently, they are always capable of beating anyone on a given night due to their explosive backcourt. As the Thunder displayed in their dismantling of the Golden State Warriors, they can play with the best. A home game on Christmas night should bring out their best for the Rockets.
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We all know about the Celtics and their incredible defense. Facing a defense like that on the road, near the end of the month should really be a good test for Houston. And then playing at Washington on the second night of that back-to-back could be one of the hardest tests in the month.
However, the Rockets can’t overlook home games against the Spurs, Bucks and Jazz. By that time the Spurs will have Kawhi Leonard back, the Bucks can beat anyone on the back of Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the Jazz will be looking to get some revenge for their two losses to Houston so far this season.
What helps the Rockets significantly in this remaining schedule is their seven-game home-stand right smack dab in the middle of the month. This will allow the team to get comfortable at home while facing some capable competition.
If the Rockets thrive during the remaining December schedule (i.e. a 9-3 or above record), the Rockets (and more importantly, fans and analysts) will begin to seriously entertain the notion that they are a threat to the Warriors.
Next: 2017-18 Week 8 NBA Power Rankings
If Houston continues to play anything like it has in the past couple of weeks, it should continue to fly high in the rest of December.