Lithuanian Motiejūnas started as the Rockets clinched eighth place in the Western Conference and a play-off against the current NBA champions and top-seeded Golden State Warriors.
Houston had looked likely to miss out on the play-offs completely, but three straight wins and other results going their way meant they snuck into the last berth in the Western Conference.
James Harden led the way last night with 38 points and the Rockets led comfortably throughout. Motiejūnas played almost 15 minutes (14:57), scoring 3 points and grabbing 4 rebounds.
"We sat here at the beginning of the year thinking the playoffs wouldn't have been this big of a struggle, so we had expectations of making the playoffs," coach J.B. Bickerstaff told Yahoo News. "So, now we have to get busy."
The rockets face Stephen Curry’s prolific Golden State Warriors in the first round and will have to immeasurably improve their performances to have any chance of progressing.