The Houston Rockets have won an away game against the Memphis Grizzlies with a score of 119-115, bringing their current record to 25 wins and 12 losses, ranking second in the Western Conference. After winning this crucial game against the Grizzlies, the Rockets have extended their lead to 1.5 games. They have temporarily secured their position, but their upcoming schedule is not easy. They will face the Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets, and Sacramento Kings before encountering two relatively weaker teams, the Portland Trail Blazers and Detroit Pistons. The Trail Blazers are struggling, while the Pistons have been performing well recently, currently at eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
Following these matches, the Rockets will have two tough games against the Cleveland Cavaliers, then face the Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies again. Prior to this, the NBA officially ranked the difficulty of the upcoming schedules, with the Rockets ranking third in the league. It remains to be seen if the Rockets can withstand this challenging stretch. If they can maintain a 50% win rate through this toughest part of their schedule, their chances of making the playoffs this year will be virtually guaranteed. This segment of the schedule is incredibly difficult, but there is good news: Jalen Green has returned to form, reminiscent of Michael Jordan.
Since entering 2025, Jalen Green has been on fire. He seems to have regained the level of performance he had last March. In today's game against the Grizzlies, he outplayed Ja Morant. Over 38 minutes, he shot 11 for 21 from the field, including 4 for 8 from three-point range, scoring 27 points, grabbing 2 rebounds, dishing out 3 assists, making 3 steals, and blocking 1 shot. Notably, some of Jalen Green's shots were high-difficulty attempts, which he had no choice but to take. After the game, the Houston media, Bradeaux, also tallied Green's performance over the past five games.
Averaging 35 minutes per game, Green can score 28 points, grab 4.8 rebounds, dish out 2 assists, and make 1.2 steals. His shooting percentage is 48%, and his three-point shooting percentage is as high as 41.2%, averaging 4.2 three-pointers per game. Green has scored over 25 points in four consecutive games, with scores of 33, 27, 29, and 27 points. In these four games where Green scored at least 25 points, the Rockets achieved a record of 3 wins and 1 loss. This is what we've been saying: Green is not just a stat-padder; his performance is unpredictable.
Last March, Jalen Green averaged 28.9 points, and during the games where he scored highly, the Rockets achieved an 11-game winning streak. Green even won the Player of the Week award, though he missed out on the Player of the Month. Even against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Green performed exceptionally well. We don't know how long Green can maintain this superhuman state; last year, it was limited to one month. If he could sustain this level of play, the Rockets might even be able to compete for the championship directly, without waiting for the Phoenix Suns to disintegrate and use draft picks to acquire Devin Booker. The biggest difference between the Rockets and the Thunder lies in Green and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Rockets' frontcourt is even stronger than the Thunder's. In the paint, Chet Holmgren and Alperen Sengun have different playing styles but each has their own strengths. This season's battles between the Rockets and the Thunder have demonstrated these points. When Gilgeous-Alexander can make various impossible shots, only Jalen Green can step up and challenge him for the Rockets to stand a chance. Otherwise, they would have to rely on VanVleet, whose form is even more inconsistent. The Rockets also hope that Green can maintain such a performance.
As long as Green can continue this form until the end of this tough schedule, the Rockets will have great potential later in the season. While the top spot in the West may be out of reach, they at least have a chance to secure the second position and enter the playoffs. This is also a season for the Rockets to train their young players. Recently, the team's tactics have shifted towards favoring Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green. To put it bluntly, VanVleet and Dillon Brooks are increasingly becoming supporting roles, not because they are willingly giving up their roles, but because the growth of Green and Sengun has naturally transitioned the ball-handling responsibilities to them. These two veterans joined the Rockets to support the rookies, but the rookies have yet to truly soar.