You have to love regular-season battles in the , especially when teams are fighting for a playoff spot. When a potential postseason berth is on the line, the intensity of everything is magnified, and that's certainly the case in the battle for the final seed in the Western Conference. For the , they are on a remarkable 10-game winning streak while gaining on the for the No. 10 seed in the West. After Wednesday night's win, the adrenaline following the 10th victory in a row prompted one of their players to send a message to the Warriors. How It All Went Down With Rockets' Tari Eason & Warriors After the Rockets took down the Oklahoma City Thunder 132-126 in overtime, they remained neck-in-neck with Golden State, sitting just one game behind the Warriors in the standings. And if not for an incredible finish to the Warriors' victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday by Stephen Curry, Houston would have moved into a tie for the final spot. As it stands, Houston holds a 37-35 record, while Golden State is trying to keep a distance between themselves and Ime Udoka's squad, holding a 38-34 mark currently. With competition for playoff spots and play-in spots for the Play-In Tournament up for grabs, both the Rockets and Warriors need all the wins they can get. The Warriors may have the lead, but have been 5-5 in their last 10 games, leaving them vulnerable to Houston's run. This ultimately prompted the likes of Rockets forward Tari Eason to , and send a nice reminder to the Warriors that Houston is right there, and they aren't slowing down. It's quite a decision by Eason, albeit for justified reasons. Having been 27-35 with their playoff chances looking bleak at the time, the Rockets ripped off a winning streak at the perfect time despite Eason himself being sidelined, along with budding star, center Alperen Şengün, due to injuries. Houston has outscored opponents by 141 points combined, scoring 124.3 points per game throughout the winning streak. They have done so on excellent
shooting splits of 49.3 percent from the field and 38.4 percent from beyond the arc, beating opponents by a winning margin of 14.1 points on average. Responsible for this run is mainly Jalen Green, who has been on a scorching tear with his scoring over the last 10 games. He is averaging 29.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals on 51 percent shooting from the field and 45.9 percent from deep during the team's streak. This presents a difficult challenge for Golden State to handle, trying to stay afloat in the playoff picture while avoiding the ups and downs of what has been a frustrating year for the team. Despite having a top 10 offense in the league, their 18th-ranked defense has held them back from being seen as one of the better teams in the West, showcasing their inconsistencies more frequently this season than in prior years. Evaluating Warriors, Rockets Remaining Schedules The end of the regular season is near, and 10 games remain for the Warriors and Rockets. After out their March schedule with games against the and , Golden State will then face a three-game stretch against the (twice) and Houston, in what's certain to be a marquee matchup on Thursday, April 4. The game against Houston falls between the two Mavericks contests, presenting a showdown that could ultimately decide the fate of the final play-in spot in the West. As for Houston, they conclude their March slate with games against the and the Mavericks before beginning April with matchups against the , Golden State and the .