The Rockets went 3-1 on the week, improving their record to 28-13 and keeping pace in the Western Conference with a hold on the second seed. They’re 1.5 games up on the third-seeded Grizzlies and a full six games back of the Oklahoma City Thunder for the top seed.

After having their game against the Atlanta Hawks last Saturday postponed due to weather conditions in the Atlanta area, the Rockets came home to Toyota Center and held off the Grizzlies in a 120-118 thriller. They then traveled to Denver to face a Nuggets team playing without center Nikola Jokic, winning 128-108. The very next night, Houston lost a nail-biter to the Sacramento Kings in front of a national television audience, 132-127. They then bounced back on Saturday to defeat the Blazers, 125-103.

The Rockets’ toughest stretch of the season is right around the corner. On Monday, Houston will host the resurgent Detroit Pistons at Toyota Center, in a matchup of two teams on similar rebuilding timelines and a showdown between the top two picks of the 2021 NBA draft. They’ll then embark upon a home and away against the surging Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday and Thursday. The Cavs are 35-6 and on pace to break 70 wins. It would be a success if the Rockets could even split the two games.

As of Sunday night, the Rockets are sixth in the league in net rating at +6.1. Their defense is third in the league with a defensive rating of 107.3. But the offense has now crept all the way up to eleventh league-wide with an offensive rating of 113.4. Houston is inching closer to having both a top 10 defense and offense.

The Rockets got some massive good news last week in the form of the return of super sub Tari Eason. Eason had been inactive from December 19 until January 15, missing games 27 through 39, due to lower leg soreness in the same leg that required surgery last March. Head coach Ime Udoka said that Eason would initially be limited to just 20 to 25 minutes of playing time per game.

In his return, against the Kings, Eason made his presence felt immediately, scoring 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the floor and grabbing four rebounds in just 24 minutes of play. Against the Blazers, he scored 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the floor, grabbing 8 rebounds, and collecting three steals, in just 23 minutes of gametime. On the year, Eason is averaging 11.7 points and 6.3 rebounds and shooting 48.5% from the floor. By advanced statistical measures, Eason has been one of the most impactful players in the league since his rookie season and easily one of the Rockets’ best.

Eason’s return is a massive boost to a team that has been playing without starting power forward Jabari Smith Jr. due to a hand injury. The Rockets can only hope that the lower leg injury is a thing in the past for Eason and not a situation that will have long term ramifications. The team can extend Eason to a long term extension as already as this summer.