The Rockets went into Saturday’s game two games under .500, but in 14th place in the Western Conference, an indication of how deep the west has become. Another measure of that could be their opponent on Saturday, with the Mavericks going from 7-20 at the same time last season to 12-11 heading into Saturday’s game.
With the Mavericks bolstered by additions, the Grizzlies by a few subtler changes and better health and the Kings by the benefit of experience, the West has several teams fighting for playoff spots that were nowhere near the top eight last season.