Thursday night's 133-110 loss by the Houston Rockets marked the most consequential game at Toyota Center since May 2019. And while Thursday's loss—and its subsequent slicing of Houston's playoffs odds—stings to a degree, it pales in comparison to Houston's heartbreak five years ago.
Houston played exactly zero games with playoff implications across the last three seasons prior to 2023-24. The Rockets reached the postseason in 2020, but the end of the regular season and the playoffs were played in the NBA’s Orlando bubble (where Houston lost in the first round to LeBron James and eventual champions Los Angeles Lakers).