The Houston Rockets have been on a roll lately, winning four out of their last five games. However, their momentum took a hit when promising young talent Alperen Sengun went down with an injury on March 10. Many thought their hopes of making it to the playoffs were dashed, but the Rockets had other plans.
Despite the setback, guard Jalen Green stepped up and was named the Western Conference Player of the Week after averaging an impressive 26 points per game in victories over San Antonio, Washington, and Cleveland. The 22-year-old’s stellar performance helped the Rockets improve to a 7-1 record in their previous eight games and extend their winning streak to five games.
Green’s standout play earned him the second weekly award of the season for the Rockets, with Sengun previously receiving the honor two and a half months ago. The team’s last Player of the Week award prior to this season was back in 2019, making Green’s recognition all the more special.
In a fun coincidence, another Jalen, Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks, was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week on the same day. Both Jalens led their teams to a perfect 3-0 record over the past week.
While awards are nice, the Rockets have their sights set on a bigger goal: securing a spot in the playoffs through the Western Conference Play-In Tournament. Currently sitting in 11th place with a 32-35 record, they are 3.5 games behind the 10th-seeded Los Angeles Lakers with 15 games left in the regular season. The top seven to ten seeds in each conference qualify for the play-in tournament before the official playoffs begin.
The Rockets are also eyeing the Dallas Mavericks, who hold the seventh seed in the Western Conference, trailing them by 2.5 games in the Southwest Division standings. With a tough schedule ahead, including games against Washington, Chicago, Utah, and Portland, the Rockets will need to stay focused and continue their winning ways to reach their playoff aspirations.
Their final game of the season is set to take place on April 14 against the Los Angeles Clippers, and the team is determined to make a strong push in the remaining games to secure their spot in the postseason. Despite the challenges they’ve faced this season, the Rockets are proving that they are a force to be reckoned with in the competitive Western Conference.