NBA Power Rankings: Houston Rockets Moving Up After Win vs. Denver Nuggets?

The Houston Rockets are 8-6, but have yet to win a game on the road.

Jeremy Brener | Nov 27, 2023

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Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are winners of two straight games, including the team's second victory in as many games against the Denver Nuggets during Friday's In-Season Tournament game.

The wins come off the heels of a winless three-game road trip for the Rockets, where the team lost against the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.

NBA.com put more weight on the losses and docked the Rockets two spots in this week's power rankings from No. 15 to 17.

Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. — Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

"The Rockets are 0-5 (and the league’s only winless team) on the road, having been outscored by 24 points from 3-point range (in a five-point loss) at Golden State on Monday," NBA.com writes. "But they’re 8-1 (with eight straight wins) at home, having held the Grizzlies and Nuggets to just 90.8 points per 100 possessions later in the week."

The Rockets have made serious strides from a year ago, but they won't be viewed as a true contender until they are able to reflect their success at home on the road. They will have an opportunity tomorrow to win their first road game of the year when they visit the Dallas Mavericks (Tue.) for the final In-Season Tournament group play game. A win will get the Rockets into the knockout round of the tournament and three victories away from winning the whole thing.

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After playing the Mavs, the Rockets will face the Nuggets once again on Wednesday in Denver and the Lakers in a rematch on Saturday from Los Angeles.

Published Nov 27, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.