In terms of losses, the Houston Rockets are just as far from the eighth seed as they are from the second seed.
That makes games like tonight, against the 24-47 Atlanta Hawks, so important. The Hawks have dropped their last two contests against the Celtics and Magic and the Rockets cannot afford to drop any game against a team not in the playoff picture.
Other than the reeling Thunder, no team behind Houston is playing poorly. The Spurs are on a 9-game winning streak, the Clippers are 8-2 over their last 10, the Jazz have won four straight and have the easiest schedule remaining, and Portland’s closing schedule isn’t much tougher.