Houston Rockets return to the playoffs
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Head coach Ime Udoka is locked in. Photo: Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images
The Houston Rockets return to the NBA playoffs this weekend for the first time since 2020.
Why it matters: Houston's postseason appearance is the culmination of years of rebuilding amid a season of high expectations.
Driving the news: The Rockets (52-30) face a familiar foe in the Golden State Warriors (48-34) on Sunday at Toyota Center in the first game of a best-of-seven series.
- Houston, the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, has home-court advantage over No. 7 seed Golden State.
- The Warriors won three of five games against the Rockets during the regular season, and oddsmakers have set the Rockets as the underdogs in the series.
- The Warriors won a play-in game Tuesday to advance to the playoffs.
The intrigue: Tilman Fertitta — the potential Italian ambassador/billionaire who owns the Rockets — placed high expectations on the team this season after dumping millions into new player development facilities, signing promising young players and hiring head coach Ime Udoka to lead the team.
State of play: The matchup is a study in contrasts: The Rockets rank low in shooting efficiency and passing but make up for it with the best offensive rebounding percentage in the league. The Warriors share the ball and have some good 3-point shooters.
- Many of the Rockets players were in middle school when Stephen Curry led the Warriors to their last championship in 2015. Curry, now in his 16th season in the league, will match up against Amen Thompson, in his second season.
What they're saying: "When we're on point and pay attention to the details and play hard, we're one of the best teams in the NBA," starting guard Jalen Green told the Houston Chronicle ahead of the playoffs.
Flashback: The Rockets outperformed every Western Conference team this season except for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who lost only 14 games.
- Houston finished with the fourth-best record in the entire league.
- They also made a run in the mid-season NBA Cup tournament but fell to the Thunder in the semifinals.
What's next: The series winner advances to the conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers or Minnesota Timberwolves.
How to watch: Sunday's tipoff is at 8:30pm on TNT and Space City Home Network.
- Tickets start at $112.