Houston Rockets eliminated from play-in contention / News - Basketnews.com

The Rockets' painful loss to the Mavericks was the final dagger in their hopes to compete in the playoffs.

Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix Credit Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix

The Houston Rockets suffered a painful loss against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night. This game was the final dagger in the Rockets' playoff hopes.

Player of the Game EFF 43 Kyrie Irving Points 48 Accuracy 15-25 Rebounds 7 Assists 2

After the loss, Houston can only reach a total of 42 wins in the regular season. Golden State Warriors, who are 10th in the Western Conference standings, currently have 43 wins and cannot be reached.

Not so long ago, the Rockets were tied with the Warriors, but then lost the last five games, which ultimately proved to be decisive.

The Rockets held a three-point lead with 8 seconds to go, but Jabari Smith Jr. missed both free throws that could've sealed the game. Dallas got the rebound, and Dante Exum pushed the game to overtime with a buzzer-beating triple.

The Mavericks, meanwhile, are 5th in the Western Conference, two games away from the 4th-placed Los Angeles Clippers.

With the Rockets getting eliminated, all 20 teams that are going to participate in the play-in/playoffs are clear.

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