The Houston Rockets have clinched the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference thanks to their 117-91 victory over the Utah Jazz and the San Antonio Spurs' 108-103 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers both finished the regular season with a record of 56-26, but Houston earns the second seed by virtue of winning the Southwest Division title.
Rockets clinch No. 2 seed in West with win, Spurs loss to Pelicans
The Rockets destroyed the Jazz and got some help from the Pelicans, who beat the Spurs to give Houston the No. 2 seed in the West.
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The Rockets entered the night as the No. 5 seed and made quick work of the Jazz, running out to a 30-point halftime lead and cruising to victory. Houston then needed the help of a desperate New Orleans team against San Antonio, and the Rockets got that help, with Anthony Davis scoring 31 points to lead the Pelicans to victory and the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.
The Spurs fell to the No. 6 seed after the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Indiana Pacers and will take on the Clippers in the first round. The Grizzlies snagged the fifth seed and home-court advantage over the fourth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers.
Houston gets the No. 2 seed in the West despite a litany of injuries to key players throughout the year. Both Dwight Howard and Terrence Jones have missed a lot of time this season, and Patrick Beverley and Donatas Motiejunas are already out for the rest of the year. The Rockets are where they're at thanks in large part to James Harden, one of the top MVP candidates.
Houston will face the seventh-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the postseason. The Mavericks boasted one of the most potent offenses in the league at the start of the season and looked to get even stronger with the addition of Rajon Rondo in December, but the results have been mixed since Rondo came on board.
The Rockets won three out of the four regular-season matchups against Dallas.
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