With Wednesday afternoon’s 108-104 loss (box score) to Indiana, the Houston Rockets (44-27) are now locked in as either the No. 4 or No. 5 seed in the 2020 Western Conference playoffs.
Since games are being played without fans at the NBA “bubble” in Florida, the final ordering of fourth or fifth is largely irrelevant. The winner of that No. 4 vs. No. 5 series will then face off in the second round against the winner of the No. 1 (Los Angeles Lakers) vs. No. 8 series. Houston may prefer that side of the West bracket, since they’ve defeated the larger Lakers in two of their three meetings in the 2019-20 season.
Had Houston been No. 3 or No. 6, their likely second-round opponent would have been the Clippers (47-23), who are the probable No. 2. Led by reigning NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, the versatile Clippers defeated the Rockets twice this season, including a rout in March after Houston’s well-chronicled switch to a smaller lineup. By contrast, the Rockets went 2-0 versus the Lakers following their stylistic change.
Houston’s opponent in the No. 4 vs. No. 5 series is likely to be Oklahoma City, who entered Wednesday at 43-27. The only way Houston would not play the Thunder is if all three of these results take place:
- Miami beats Oklahoma City on Wednesday
- Utah beats San Antonio on Thursday
- Clippers beat Oklahoma City on Friday
If Oklahoma City beats Miami on Wednesday night, the Rockets-Thunder series would officially be locked in.
Houston’s regular-season finale against Philadelphia, which is now effectively irrelevant, is scheduled for Friday night. Game 1 of the first-round series between the Rockets and either the Thunder or Jazz will take place on either Monday or Tuesday of next week.
Today's loss makes it official: The #Rockets will be in the No. 4 vs. No. 5 series, with winner to face No. 1 Lakers vs. No. 8 winner.
Opponent will be Oklahoma City unless the Thunder lose their last two games (Heat, Clippers) and the Jazz beat San Antonio.
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) August 12, 2020
