They are about to hit a really hard part of the schedule, so they will be 2-3 games below .500 with 30 games played, and in the West that's a death sentence to your season with clear 12 PO contenders.
Rockets will finally start harder part of the schedule, that also includes, NBA really loves that somehow, vs Denver/@Denver sequence: Kings, Blazers and Suns already enjoyed this, while Houston and Dallas will be future recipients this season.