Rockets surge while 76ers struggle in playoffs chase

The Houston Rockets are on a six-game winning streak and are tied for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. They recently defeated the Chicago Bulls 117-114, with Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun leading the team in scoring. In contrast, the Philadelphia 76ers are struggling this season and may miss the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Despite a recent win against the Dallas Mavericks, they are five games behind the play-in tournament spot. The 76ers are missing key players due to injuries, but midseason addition Quentin Grimes has been performing well. The Rockets aim for their first season sweep of Philadelphia since 2016-17 after winning their previous matchup in November.