Houston Rockets clinch top-five seed after some outside help

Houston Rockets clinch top-five seed after some outside help originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Houston Rockets had one of their most resilient wins of the season Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns .

They overcame a large deficit in the first quarter and won their 50th game of the season. On Wednesday, their week went from good to great, as they got an assist from the Orlando Magic . Update: The Rockets just clinched a top 5 seed in the West with the Timberwolves loss to the Magic!!!!!

pic. twitter. com/HMKr3FpVk8 — Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) April 9, 2026 Houston secured a top-five seed after the Timberwolves were beaten by the Magic The Minnesota Timberwolves had several of their main contributors out for their clash against the Magic, and they paid the price, losing by a score of 132-120 and gifting the Rockets a higher seed, with Minnesota now being unable to catch the Rockets in the standings.

The likeliest scenario for Houston as of the time of writing is a date with the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs, regardless of whether they finish in the 4th or 5th seed. The Lakers have been struck by the injury bug and will be missing both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves for the rest of the regular season , and they would most likely be out for the first round of the postseason. The Rockets were dealt a big blow before the season even started after Fred VanVleet tore his ACL.