Inside The Rockets

NBA Power Rankings: Rockets Top 5?

The Houston Rockets are trending up in the latest NBA power rankings.

Jeremy Brener

Jan 5, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) talks to a reporter after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
Jan 5, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) talks to a reporter after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
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The Houston Rockets are fresh off of a big win against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night inside Toyota Center, and it's important that they got their victory at home, since they won't have many chances to play in the city for a while.

The Rockets have a tough road stretch ahead, but they are playing with a cushion before a potential fall.

NBA.com writer John Schuhmann has the Rockets two spots higher in his latest power rankings, moving up from No. 7 to 5.

"The Rockets went 2-3 on a homestand interrupted by a two-game suspension for Amen Thompson and an injury to Jabari Smith Jr.," Schuhmann writes.

"They’ll have more opportunities for quality wins this month because the Rockets have the league’s toughest January schedule regarding cumulative opponent winning percentage (entering the month). They’re also playing 13 of their next 17 games on the road, which includes three games (two in Memphis) against the Grizzlies."

The only teams ahead of the Rockets in the power rankings were the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Rockets are back in action tomorrow when they take on the Washington Wizards before heading to play the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday and the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday for a matinee game.

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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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