No one said it would be easy. Two games against the Denver Nuggets (of the five total they play this year) and two losses, one in an overtime thriller Monday night. The Rockets are also 0-1 against OKC, the best team in basketball. The Western Conference is stacked and the Rockets are going to have to figure out how to beat the best teams in it. It looks like there will be four real challenges for Houston in the West. Let’s go over them
**Oklahoma City Thunder**
The reigning champs are absolutely mauling the league with a chance to set the all-time record for wins in a season. The Rockets played them into double overtime on opening night and would appear to have the horses to match up with the best defensive team in basketball. But, it will not be easy. The Thunder is a team that is trying to become the next Golden State Warrior dynasty and we all know how that went for the Rockets.
Both of these franchises are well run and both deep with assets and draft picks (somehow). It might ultimately come down to injuries, but this is the biggest mountain the Rockets have to climb this season and it’s en par with Mt. Everest, not insurmountable, but no half-day hike either.
**Denver Nuggets**
As we have seen from the Nikola Jokic-led Nuggets, this is a team that is deep with talent, particularly offensively. When both Jokic and Jamal Murray have it going, they are nearly impossible to stop. There is a reason they won a title and continue to dominate the league. A series between these two teams could be epic, but the Rockets will have to figure out how to beat the Nuggets in three of their final matchups.
This is likely to come down to if the Rockets can hold down the Nuggets on offense. The lineups are startlingly even. Right now, these are two teams battling it out for the privilege of meeting the Thunder.
**Los Angeles Lakers**
Don’t look now but the Lakers, thanks to the biggest trade blunder in NBA history last season, are no pushover. They are a bit long in the tooth (even if Lebron James remains ageless) and their front court will likely struggle against the Rockets and the double-big lineup, but with Luka Doncic and James, pretty much anything is possible.
Their first matchup is the prime time game on Christmas Day in LA. Set your DVR.
**San Antonio Spurs**
Well, well, well, if someone had told you that it would be the Spurs challenging the Rockets for the division this year, you’d be forgiven if you didn’t believe them. But Victor Wembanyama distorts everything. It won’t be long before Wemby is the best player on the planet, if he isn’t already, and his size and skills are essentially unmatched. The first lackluster matchup between these two teams was the second worst loss of the Rockets season. The two teams face off twice more, including a game in March when playoff seeding could be on the line.
This article appears in [Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025](https://www.houstonpress.com/?post_type=newspack_collection&p=390334).