Much to the dismay of the Warriors, the Houston Rockets continued their recent hot streak Monday night with a 110-92 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Houston (36-35) has climbed to No. 11 in the Western Conference, right on the heels of the No. 10-seeded Golden State (36-34), as the winner of nine consecutive games following its latest victory. The Rockets entered Monday one game behind the Warriors and now sit just a half game back for the 10th seed and final spot in the NBA play-in tournament.
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Golden State, meanwhile, is coming off a 114-110 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday at Target Center. A team that last month had hopes of earning an outright playoff spot as a No. 6-or-higher seed now is fighting tooth and claw to make it to the play-in bracket.
And the Rockets want that spot, too. The Warriors are more concerned about themselves, however, as veteran forward Draymond Green made clear after their loss Sunday.
“I don’t give a damn about the Rockets,” Green told reporters.
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With 12 regular-season game remaining and the Rockets breathing down their neck in the standings, the Warriors will look to remain in contention just a bit longer for a shot at another NBA championship.
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