Rockets Viewed As Heavy Favorites to Win Their NBA Cup Group

The 2026 NBA season is in full swing with the season being a little over a week in and seeing some teams some teams such as the Houston Rockets who have begun 5-0 and are looking to add to that resume.

Speaking of the Rockets, they are set to begin NBA Cup play on Friday night as they take on the Dallas Mavericks on the road at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

When it comes to Houston's NBA Cup journey, it does appear that they could be in a good position to win their group.

On that note, the NBA Communications account on X posted that nine NBA media members were asked to project the winner of each group, with the media members being David Aldridge, Howard Beck, Chris Haynes, Kurt Helin, Rachel Nichols, Kevin O'Connor, Zora Stephenson, Tim Reynolds, and Jeff Zillgitt, and of those nine media members, Zillgitt was the only person who did not select the Rockets as he went with the Denver Nuggets.

This is a great sign for the Rockets as it does appear they are heavy favorites for their group in the NBA Cup and have been able to gain respect of media members very early on in the season.

Taking a look at the Rockets' group, they are in West Group A which includes the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, and Utah Jazz.

When seeing who the Rockets have in their group it definitely does appear favorable with the Suns, Jazz, and Mavericks being teams that Houston should have an advantage over, while the Nuggets do appear to be a solid test that will be interesting to watch as NBA Cup play progresses.

Now, even though the Rockets should have the advantage over the Suns, Jazz, and Mavericks, it is crucial to understand that Houston has to come to play every night with intensity because the NBA Cup is an environment where the intensity will be high, as each game (besides the championship game) does count toward each team's regular season record, and a significant bonus will be given to each player on the winning team.

All that to say, there is no question that the Rockets are going to get everybody's best shot, but also, this is a great opportunity for Houston to go prove that they are a true contender and can take down any team that stands in their way.

So, as the Rockets head into NBA Cup play on Friday against the Mavericks, it will be interesting to see how Houston comes out and if they can stay undefeated, but also how high the intensity is and if the Rockets can make a commanding statement as a team truly aiming to win the NBA Cup for the 2026 season and having an even higher goal of demonstrating that they are a high-level competitor in the Western Conference.

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