Rockets Playoff Schedule: Who Will Houston Play in Next Round?

Getty Eric Gordon #10 and James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets embrace after their 104-101 win over the Utah Jazz in Game Three during the first round of the 2019 NBA Western Conference Playoffs.

The last three games were tough, but the Rockets are advancing to the Western Conference semifinals. The Rockets edged the Jazz 100-93 in Houston Wednesday night behind a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double from Clint Capela. James Harden needed 26 shots to muster 26 points.

They trailed at halftime in both games in Salt Lake City, including this past weekend’s 107-91 loss in Game 4. The final quarter Wednesday night was always within single-digits. With the Game 5 survival, Houston is in the conference semis for the 3rd-straight season.

The next opponent will be decided soon, as the Golden State Warriors tip off soon to try to close out their series against the Clippers. Assuming the 2-time defending champion take care of business at home, viewers will have the treat of watching a rematch of last year’s 7-game conference finals.

Let’s assume the Warriors advance and do a series preview and prediction. The conference semifinals will start as early as April 27-28 (this Saturday & Sunday).

Rockets vs. Warriors Projected Series Preview & Pick

The prevailing sentiment from many in last year’s conference finals is that the Rockets would have won if Chris Paul hadn’t exited the final 2 games with a strained right hamstring.

The All-Star point guard had eclipsed 20 points each in Games 4 and 5 to build a 3-2 series lead for Houston. With him out, Steph Curry combined for 56 points to help clinch another Finals appearance for the Warriors.

Houston won the season series 3-1 this season, with Paul’s best performance coming in a 118-112 Rockets victory on Feb. 23. He scored 23 points and dished out a whopping 17 assists.

Moreover, Harden showed up when available. While the potential MVP missed the late February win, he averaged 33.3 points in the other 3 contests. As a team, Houston notched 116 points per game, which would rank near the top of the NBA if extrapolated out for the season.

On the flip side, the Rockets allowed just 109.5 points per meeting, which is nearly 9 points below the Warriors’ season average. Golden State ranks 2nd in the league in scoring offense, while Houston is 10th (113.9 ppg).

One thing that Golden State has now that it lacked in the previous meetings? Andrew Bogut. He’s been the antidote to an inconsistent defense since joining in early March. Against a high-scoring Clippers team, he’s helped clog the interior and has demonstrated more discipline DeMarcus Cousins (out for year with quad injury) ever did.

With Bogut in the starting rotation, the Warriors have 3 solid defenders to combat different levels of the Rockets attack. Kevin Durant has the length to occasionally disrupt Harden (enough to make him work for it). Draymond Green has the flexibility to run shooters off the 3-point line, while Bogut is a much-missed presence in the middle.

One possible distraction for Golden State? Kevin Durant’s temper. He allowed himself to get into battles with Clippers guard Patrick Beverley. While Durant eventually overcame some inefficient nights, he let his frustration get the better of him in a Game 2 ejection.

Houston has revenge on the mind and has approached every matchup this season with a business-like approach. That calm, determined motivation could be the difference against a Warriors team whose top scorer is liable to get himself into trouble when pushed.

The Warriors will push with their backs against the wall, but Paul’s return will be the difference with a team on a mission.

Prediction: Rockets in 7