Inside The Rockets

NBA Power Rankings: Rockets Rise After Win vs. Thunder

The Houston Rockets are moving up in the NBA power rankings.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 1, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jeff Green (32) reacts after a play during the fourth quarter of the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Dec 1, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jeff Green (32) reacts after a play during the fourth quarter of the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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The Houston Rockets are flexing their muscles after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 119-116 inside Toyota Center on Sunday evening.

The win marked the 15th for the Rockets in their first 21 games, placing them just 0.5 game behind the Thunder for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

The winning has also moved the Rockets up to No. 3 in NBA.com writer John Schuhmann's power rankings, which is two spots higher than last week.

"The Rockets are heading to the Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinals, having clinched West Group A with their overtime win in Minnesota on Tuesday. They’re now 12-3 since their 3-3 start to the season, picking up a huge win over Oklahoma City on Sunday. That puts them just a half-game behind the first-place Thunder in the Western Conference," Schuhmann writes. "That road success will be tested this week as the Rockets take a three-game trip through California. They’re 2-1 against the Pacific Division, with the one loss (to the Warriors without Stephen Curry) having come in overtime after they erased a 31-point deficit."

The only teams that rank ahead of the Rockets in the power rankings are the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Rockets will return to the court tomorrow night when they face off against the Sacramento Kings at 9 p.m. CT.

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Jeremy Brener
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.

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