NBA Power Rankings Roundup: Rockets surging at just the right time

The Houston Rockets are on a roll.

For a while, the situation was getting dicey. A six-game losing streak was not what the Rockets wanted over halfway through the season. A rash of injuries was beginning to look like it could compromise their playoff dreams.

Not anymore.

The Rockets have clinched a play-in spot. They'll likely go much further than that. As the owners of an 8-game winning streak, the Rockets will be looking to preserve homecourt advantage heading into the postseason. Fans of the team have to like the odds of that happening.

Power rankings around the internet are starting to reflect their success.

NBC Sports: 6th

NBC Sports' Kurt Helin has the Rockets in a tier he's calling "playoffs-or-bust". That puts the Rockets below the true title contenders, but ahead of bubble teams.

That seems accurate. Helin also correctly identifies that the Rockets' (at the time) 7-game winning streak was coming against weaker competition. He also adds that an NBA can only "beat the team in front of (them)".

Since then, they handled the Magic. They posed a more formidable challenge, so the Rockets can take pride in that win.

CBS Sports: 4th

It seems that the extra win over the Magic meant a lot to CBS Sports.

So does fifth-ranked 122 points per 100 possessions over their 8-game winning streak. In total, that was enough for the Rockets to jump three spots in Colin Ward-Henninger's rankings.

The Rockets' offensive excellence over this stretch is especially encouraging. Again, the weak competition caveat applies, but the team's attack has looked conceptually different. The Rockets are moving the ball more, and that should translate as the competition gets stiffer.

NBA.com: 10th

It must be said that this is the most outdated ranking in this piece. NBA.com published their list when the Rockets had won a modest 6 in a row.

Here's a fun stat from NBA.com: The Rockets became the 6th team to surpass last season's win total with their 42nd win. Rockets fans shouldn't take that accomplishment for granted. This was the most improved team in the NBA last year. Continued ascendence was never a foregone conclusion.

The Rockets have taken (another) major step forward in 2024-25.

There's your roundup, folks! It should be added that ESPN's last power rankings were published on March 12. It didn't seem prudent to include them when the Rockets were in a different place at that point.

Otherwise, the consensus is clear: the Rockets are on the rise. If they can continue this level of play heading into the postseason, they could carry their momentum to a first-round victory.

They just need to stay on a roll.