Houston Rockets: Improving road performance key to success

The Houston Rockets continue to showcase their offensive prowess, but consistency and discipline will be key down the stretch.

The Houston Rockets are good, but still have a lot to prove. They have a star-studded cast led by James Harden and Chris Paul, but are not locked into a playoff spot just yet. Losing four of their last 10, the Rockets find themselves in a tight playoff race for the bottom four spots, with the 4-seed still two games out of reach.

While their home record of 21-9 is impressive, their equally unimpressive 14-16 road record is where the problem lies. There have been signs of improvement since the start of the season, but they need to ramp it up if they hope to keep their hopes of climbing the Western Conference ladder alive.

The Rockets started the new year 2-4 on the road in January, winning against the Golden State Warriors in overtime and the lowly New York Knicks. In February, the Rockets are 4-3. Their recent three-game win streak on the road against the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings is exactly what they need, especially as the playoff race becomes tighter.

There are only 10 wins separating fourth and 12th place in the Western Conference. For the Rockets, improving on that below-.500 road record will be imperative in securing a playoff spot and, potentially, home-court advantage. Based on their current success on the road, playing four of seven games at home in the playoffs will be a necessity.

On top of the road failures, the Rockets have been dealing with injury problems across the board, but as a rising team in the West, every game counts. If they can make road wins a priority heading into March and beyond, the Rockets have a great chance of separating themselves from the bottom of the West.

Bad shooting and fouling, not referees, main reason for Lakers loss

The Rockets did a lot of complaining as they came up short against the Los Angeles Lakers last Thursday. When you look at the numbers, it is fairly obvious why they were not able to pull off the big win at the Staples Center.

The Rockets rely heavily on their shooting, primarily behind the arc. Against the Lakers, they shot 29.3 percent from 3-point range. This was their worst performance since Jan. 25 against the Toronto Raptors. Despite the 21.7 3-point percentage, the Rockets were able to come away with the victory. They rebounded well against the Raptors, and kept them from the charity stripe.

Houston gave up 33 free throws to the Lakers, and despite missing three freebies, L.A. still came away with 27 free points. The same can be said for their Eastern Conference road losses to the Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers.

Performance against the Warriors was a great start

The Rockets need to be more poised on defense while maintain a consistent level of offensive success, and they showed that against the Warriors. Last Saturday, the Rockets pulled off a great road victory without Harden, beating the Warriors 118-112 on the road.

As an aspiring championship-caliber team, the Rockets proved they can win the big games on the road. Chris Paul and Eric Gordon led the charge, and were able to make the most of their opportunities. While Paul collected an impressive 23-point, 17-assist double-double, Gordon added 25 points.

Now, they need to start working towards consistency. If they are able to come away with victories against the Charlotte Hornets, Boston Celtics and Raptors on their Eastern Conference road trip, the Rockets will be in a good position to lock up a top-four seed in the West.