The 2026 All-Star Weekend landed directly in the middle of February for the Houston Rockets, already completing six out of their twelve games this month. As we previously dove into on Roundtable, this was a great chance for the Rockets to take advantage of the schedule.

But after only managing to split this first half of games, they now have an uphill battle to maintain home-court in the playoffs. Early were reminiscent of their disappointing losing streak to start January, but at least they turned that around.

Advertisement

Hoping to do the same again this month, Houston is set to redeem themselves for the Feb.5 let down vs. the Hornets, covered on Roundtable. This is the first of their four road games to finish out the month, all of which are against eastern conference opponents. The easier part of February has passed them by.

After fighting to get their road record back over .500, the Rockets are in serious danger of falling back down in the standings if they can’t get some wins. Both the Lakers and Timberwolves are trailing by just half a game, though Houston still has a tiebreaker over each team.

With LA and Minnesota both playing in separate ESPN games on Friday, a Rockets loss on Thursday could see Houston drop to 5th or 6th in the West. So what needs to happen to propel them to wins?

One thing that I previously suggested on Roundtable is that the Rockets get out in transition more. Currently ranking 21st in fast break points and 27th in pace, it’s obvious the slow and methodical offense isn’t working.

Advertisement

As defenses around the league have changed how they’re guarding Amen Thompson, Ime Udoka has to make changes to his offense. He’s repeatedly discussed how his team needs to combat opponents daring Thompson to shoot, but I haven’t seen much of that actually taking place on the court.

After a Saturday night showtime matchup in Madison Square Garden, Houston has two easier home games against the Jazz and Kings. Absolute must win games with bottom feeding teams on the schedule. Sacramento entered the All-Star break on a 14 game losing streak, but Houston helped them snap their previous 7 game skid back on January 11th.

Closing the month on the road, the Rockets hope to get their first sweep in a back to back. Traveling to Orlando after their brief home stand might be the biggest test of the month. Still sitting in the Play-In after a disappointing season, I’m sure the Magic are motivated for wins.

Staying in Florida for a couple days, a midday matchup in Miami ends the month on the 28th. By this time, we’ll surely be able to tell a lot about the Houston Rockets. Will there be any additions made to the roster by the March 1st deadline? Check out some possible options here.

Advertisement

Currently sitting at 15-13, can they get to March above .500 on the road? If so, it’s likely they maintain home-court advantage. Denver has the toughest remaining schedule, per Tankathon, so it’s possible they relinquish their position at 3rd.

If they can’t go 3-1 on the road, it’s very possible for either the Timberwolves or Lakers to surpass Houston. Possibly both, though they do have the 3rd and 8th most difficult schedule.