Rockets NBA Cup Group: A Chance To Prove Contender Potential
· Yahoo Sports
The Houston Rockets’ NBA Cup will resume for a second game on Friday night against the Utah Jazz. In 2024-25, the Rockets made the NBA Cup Semifinals before losing to that year’s actual champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. In 2026-27, will the Rockets be able to recapture that? Or will they suffer a similar fate to last season when they were bounced during the group phase of the competition?
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The Rockets’ NBA Cup Group Is Not Exactly Cutthroat
Oct 30, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) and Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) look for the ball during the game between the Mavericks and the Rockets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn ImagesHouston is in West Group A this season and goes into their second game with the best overall 2026-27 record of all five members. Those other members are the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, and, of course, the Utah Jazz.
With the Rockets at 9-3, their closest group opponent in the standings is the Nuggets at 6-4. The Mavericks and Suns are currently scrapping for the final play-in spot with records of 7-5 and 5-6, respectively. Meanwhile, the Jazz are scrapping for the number one pick in the 2027 Draft, with a record of just 1-11.
The Rockets should obviously go into Friday night’s game as clear favorites. Utah’s only win so far came against a similarly dysfunctional New Orleans Pelicans squad in their second game of the season. Their current 10-game losing streak has to end at some point, but Houston should have the motivation, not to mention the talent, to make sure nothing freaky happens this Friday the 13th.
Rockets’ 2026 NBA Cup up to Jazz Clash
Despite Houston’s impressive 2026-27 season so far, their only Cup Game resulted in a loss. They were defeated 116-111 on the road by the Dallas Mavericks on October 30th.
Notably, the Rockets were missing All-Star center Alperen Şengün in that outing. Şengün’s efficiency troubles have cropped up again in recent games, but he’s still the engine that gives the Rockets’ offense liftoff.
Of course, the Rockets also struggled mightily to contain Dallas’ stars. A vintage 12-of-19, 35-point performance from Kyrie Irving was one thing. But Cooper Flagg had a 13-of-19, 33-point performance of his own. The Rockets, even with 28 from Kevin Durant and 22 from 2026-27 standout Jabari Smith Jr., couldn’t keep up and fell to 0-1 in the NBA Cup standings.
NBA Cup West Group A Standings
Regardless of whether the Rockets or Jazz win on Friday night, the Mavericks will remain the top dog in West Group A with two wins and zero losses. However, whoever wins will have the opportunity to leapfrog the Nuggets for second place, though it will depend on the margin of victory. Point differential is a major deciding factor in the elimination process.
The Nuggets won their lone Cup game versus the Suns by seven points. Because the Rockets lost their previous game by five points, they would need to win by 13 to pass Denver. The Jazz lost by 12 points, so would need to win by 20.
While being top of the group is the surest way to advance to the knock-out stage, being second in the group can count for something too. That’s because, besides the six group leaders, the knock-out phase also features two wildcards, one from each Conference.
Each conference has three groups, and each group will have a runner-up. The Conference wildcard will go to the runner-up with the best record/point differential among those three teams.
It’s too early to say what Houston’s chances of qualifying via that route might be. Because they already lost to Dallas, getting to the top of the group may prove out of their hands as well. The Rockets would need Dallas to lose at least one of their two remaining games against Denver and the Suns.
The Last Word
In the meantime, the Rockets can just carry on doing their best to beat everyone the schedule puts in front of them. On Friday, that will be the Jazz. They’ll face the Nuggets in Denver on Friday the 20th, and the Suns in Houston on Wednesday the 25th. Given that the NBA Cup Final last year proved flawless foreshadowing for the 2025-26 NBA Finals, where the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs, it’s hard to still claim the NBA Cup doesn’t mean anything.
When the Rockets beat the Spurs earlier this season, they looked like they’d found their contender spark again. Even so, if the Rockets want to fully decouple from the disappointment of last season, a run in the NBA Cup would be just the ticket.
Featured Image: Erik Williams-Imagn Images
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