The Houston Rockets’ 119-96 Christmas Day win over the Los Angeles Lakers was more of something to be relieved than excited about. Yes, a dominant defensive performance against one of the NBA’s best teams was impressive, but Houston desperately needed it amid a rough month of hoops.

The Rockets are still 5-6 in December, ranking 20th in defensive rating (116.8). They’ve picked up some key victories thus far, beating the Lakers and Denver Nuggets, but there have also been extremely disappointing defeats to the New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings and LA Clippers.

Now, Houston has more momentum than expected heading into the final home stand of 2025. The team will play two games at the Toyota Center, starting with one tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Rockets will then take on the 6-25 Indiana Pacers on Dec. 29.

If they win both of those matchups, Houston will finish December with a 7-6 record, mitigating the damage suffered earlier in the month. At this point, it’s clear that every game counts in the Western Conference, as eight teams sit above .500 with 16 wins or more. Last season, the third and eighth seeds were separated by two games.

The Rockets will have some more help moving forward with the returns of Tari Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith. Eason, averaging 11.6 points and 4.9 rebounds on 48.5% shooting from three, was inserted into the starting lineup for the previous two games and thrived.

Following the win in LA, the 6-foot-8 forward noted how important these opportunities are for him, considering his two-way impact.

Finney-Smith, on the other hand, made his season debut against the Lakers, not having much of an impact in 13 minutes. Still, the 32-year-old should only get better as he continues to get into a rhythm after ankle surgery. As a 3&D wing, he can be extremely valuable to a Rockets squad that needs just that.

Houston has to build off of this momentum in a season where the team is expected to compete for a championship. So far, the Rockets are sixth in the Western Conference, just barely avoiding the Play-In Tournament. Anything can happen with more than 50 games left.

For now, Houston will try to win two games at the Toyota Center, starting with the Cavaliers tonight. Cleveland has had its own fair share of struggles, sitting at 17-15 and the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.