The Houston Rockets have the opportunity to complete a clean sweep of their NBA Cup pool and likely secure the Western Conference’s top seed in the quarterfinals if they can achieve a victory on Tuesday night against the host Sacramento Kings.
The Rockets have already defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers, and Minnesota Timberwolves, securing first place in West Group A.
A fourth straight NBA Cup win would assure the Rockets of a home game in the West quarterfinals next week and potentially the conference’s top seed, depending on how the Golden State Warriors fare on the road against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday.
The Kings, on the other hand, have lost all three of their NBA Cup games and will not advance to the knockout round of the in-season tournament.
Houston’s most recent NBA Cup win—a 117-111 overtime decision against the Timberwolves—kickstarted the Rockets’ current three-game winning streak. It hasn’t been easy, as the Rockets followed the Minnesota game with another overtime victory, 122-115, over the host Philadelphia 76ers before a 119-116 nail-biter at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.
On Tuesday, Houston will be led by the new Western Conference Player of the Week, Alperen Sengun. He earned the honor after averaging 21.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.7 blocks during the Rockets’ three-game run of tight wins last week.
Sengun quickly credited Fred VanVleet, who scored 38 points against Oklahoma City, and Dillon Brooks, who engaged in a physical battle with Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, for their significant roles in the team’s recent success.
The Rockets and Kings have yet to meet this season. The clubs have alternated season-series sweeps over the last two years, with Sacramento going 4-0 in 2022-23 before Houston responded with a 3-0 sweep last season.
Recently, the teams have headed in opposite directions. While the Rockets went unbeaten last week, the Kings lost three of four games, including a 115-106 setback at Portland on Friday and a 127-125 home defeat against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.
The loss to the Spurs came after Kings coach Mike Brown made a lineup change, starting Malik Monk for the first time this season. Monk responded with 19 points, giving the Kings four starters with 19 or more points, but the bench was outscored 45-22.
Newcomer Jae Crowder, who totaled 18 points in two starts after being signed as a free agent last week, swapped spots with Monk and managed just two points in 11 minutes off the bench.
