Rockets vs. Nuggets game preview: oh look another contender

If you asked me to list all of the bad things that have happened to Houston this season, we would be here for a long time. So let’s focus on some of the positives.

The Rockets have had the chance to develop some of their young players. Jae’Sean Tate, Kevin Porter Jr., and Kenyon Martin Jr. have each gotten plenty of minutes and opportunities to show their talent. They all could be part of the team moving forward, or could become assets that Rafael Stone can move for picks and players.

The other positive development has been the schedule. For the first time in recent memory, the schedule has broken kindly in Houston’s favor. When your team is contending for big things, the schedule is fraught with danger. Every game is either another game against a playoff team or a trap game against a young and hungry lottery squad. Down the stretch, you are always playing teams right ahead of and behind in you in the standings, and the game is always at their place. Always.

So it’s with a degree of wry karma that in a season in which Houston needs to lose as many games as possible, the schedule is stacked with games against playoff teams down the stretch. With 12 games remaining, only one (Minnesota this Tuesday) comes against a team outside of the playoff picture. There’s always a chance that teams get locked into spots in the last week or so to where they might play backups, but as of right now it looks like Houston is going to get the opposing team’s best shot in every game.

All for a 52% chance of landing in the top 4. I think I’m going to have a heart attack on lottery night.

Tip-off is at 9pm CT on AT&T SportsNet Southwest