Rockets locked at No. 5

Houston is locked into the Western Conference’s No. 5 seed and will start the National Basketball Association playoffs on the road against either the Los Angeles Lakers or the Denver Nuggets. (nba.com) The National Basketball Association’s official playoff update on Friday, April 11, listed Houston as the No. 5 seed, with the playoffs set to begin on Saturday, April 18. (nba.com) As of Sunday, April 12, the Lakers sat fourth in the West at 50-29 and the Rockets were fifth at 50-29, while Denver was third at 52-28 with one regular-season game left for all three teams. (espn.com) Houston still had one regular-season game left Sunday night against Memphis, but that result could not move the Rockets out of fifth place. Los Angeles hosted Utah, and Denver visited San Antonio in games that would settle the final order near the top of the bracket. (nba.com) That means Houston’s first-round opponent depends on which team finishes fourth. If the Lakers stay fourth, the Rockets open in Los Angeles; if Denver drops to fourth, Houston opens in Denver. (nba.com) The bracket matters because the top six teams avoid the SoFi Play-In Tournament, which starts Tuesday, April 14. Phoenix was already slotted into the West’s 7-versus-8 play-in game, while Golden State was listed in the 9-versus-10 game on the league schedule. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Houston reached this spot after a sharp rise in the standings. The Rockets carried a 50-29 record into the final day, matching the Lakers in wins and losses and finishing ahead of every West team outside the top four. (espn.com) Denver entered the last day on a 10-game winning streak, while the Lakers entered on a three-game losing streak, which is why the No. 3 and No. 4 spots were still in play on Sunday. (espn.com) The next fixed date is April 18, when the first round begins. By the end of Sunday’s games, Houston will know whether its playoff opener is in Los Angeles or Denver. (nba.com)