The Rockets Are Taking Off

The Houston Rockets are taking them one game at a time but not counting them when they’re done.

If you’re keeping score at home, the number is 17 – consecutive victories by the hottest, and maybe the best, team in the NBA. They knocked off the Milwaukee Bucks 110-99 on the road Wednesday night to keep their winning streak alive.

“We’re not worried about wins and losses right now. We’re worried about playing the right way on both ends of the floor and that’s going to carry over into the postseason,” said leading MVP candidate James Harden, who scored 26 points.

Nobody is discounting the Golden State Warriors, who have won two of the last three championships, but the Warriors are a game behind the Rockets in the Western Conference race for the top seed.

The better teams all seem to be on streaks. Trailing the Warriors, winners of six straight, are the Portland Trail Blazers, and they’ve won eight in a row. Behind them are the New Orleans Pelicans, with 10 straight victories. And at the top of the Eastern Conference sit the Toronto Raptors, with six consecutive victories.

The Rockets play the Raptors on Friday night in Toronto.

Good test, as the Raptors are the first team to have secured a playoff berth.

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman