Rockets Aim for Top Seed in West After All-Star Break

Houston looks to climb standings and avoid tough playoff matchup

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

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As the Houston Rockets get some much-needed rest over the All-Star Break, they must prepare for an important final stretch of the season. Despite some difficulties, the Rockets are still in the mix to finish with one of the best records in the Western Conference. Their main goal is to climb back into the No. 3 seed and hold it through the end of the season, which would help them avoid a second-round matchup against the likely No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder.

Why it matters

Winning a single round in this year's postseason will be difficult for any Western Conference team, but avoiding a second-round matchup against the Thunder may give the Rockets and other teams in the No. 3 vs No. 6 and No. 2 vs No. 7 matchups a better chance at making a conference finals appearance.

The details

The Rockets will need a lot of help to catch the Denver Nuggets for the No. 3 seed, but they have an opportunity to do so. Key individual goals for the Rockets include Kevin Durant staying healthy, Alperen Sengun improving his percentages, and Amen Thompson getting more involved in the offense when teams focus on defending the paint.

  • The Rockets are on a break for the NBA All-Star weekend.

The players

Kevin Durant

The Rockets' top scorer who needs to play at a high level for the team to have a chance against top Western Conference teams.

Alperen Sengun

A player the Rockets will depend on to support Durant, and who needs to improve his finishing and free-throw shooting.

Amen Thompson

The Rockets need to find ways to keep him involved in the offense when teams focus on defending the paint.

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What’s next

The Rockets will need to execute their goals and get consistent production from role players like Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason in order to improve their playoff prospects as the season concludes.

The takeaway

The Rockets have a clear path to improve their playoff positioning, but they'll need their top players to step up and role players to contribute if they want to make a deep postseason run and avoid a tough second-round matchup against the likely No. 1 seed Thunder.