Can Houston Rockets still qualify for 2024 NBA Playoffs? Closer look after blowout loss to Golden State Warriors 

The Houston Rockets are not yet officially out of the playoff race by way of the Play-In phase following their blowout, 133-110 loss to the Golden State Warriors at home on Thursday. But the defeat saw the pathway to the postseason for them become considerably narrower.

Needing to win to gain ground on the Warriors, the team they were chasing for the 10th and final play-in spot in the Western Conference, the Rockets had their hopes dashed early after they came out flat in the opening quarter and just could not recover from there.

Klay Thompson led the way for the Warriors in the telling first quarter, going for 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting from 3, to help his team to a 33-24 lead after the opening 12 minutes. Golden State never looked back after despite efforts by Houston to claw its way back.

Thompson finished the game with 29 points, with Steph Curry also having the same output.

Jabari Smith Jr., meanwhile, paced the Houston Rockets with 24 points in a losing cause, with Cam Whitmore adding 17.

The loss was the third straight for Houston, dropping it to 38-38, four games behind the Warriors, who are now at 42-34, with six games left in their regular season assignments.

The Houston Rockets need to sweep all of their remaining games and hope for a monumental collapse from Golden State in their six games left for them to have a better shot at making it to the Play-In.

It bears noting, however, that the Warriors have been on a tear of late, winning their last six games to fortify their place in the Play-In.

Houston Rockets coach laments team's sorry performance in loss to Warriors

Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka did not mince words in giving his take on his team's performance in their key matchup with the Golden State Warriors at home on Thursday.

The Rockets were blown out of the game early en route to the 133-110 defeat. The loss all but dashed their hopes of making it to the playoffs by way of the Play-In phase.

More than just losing though, for Udoka what was telling was how his team did not deliver as hoped in what was supposed to be a big game for them.

He made sure to highlight it during his media session following the game. The coach said:

"It looked like the moment was too big for a lot of players out there. It looked like deer in headlights a little bit. [They] looked soft or scred, one or the other ... didn't rise up to the moment like I thought we would."

Apart from Jabari Smith Jr. and Cam Whitmore, who finished with 24 and 17 points, respectively, the rest of the team had it rough.

Jalen Green only had 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting while Fred VanVleet had 10, going 2-of-7 and 0-3 from 3.

The team was collectively flat to start the game and it paid dearly for it.

Despite having their playoff hopes badly hit, the Houston Rockets (38-38) have an opportunity to finish the season with a winning record with six games left in their schedule. Last season, they ended with a 22-60 win-loss card.