Rockets Drop in Latest NBA Power Rankings

Houston's rough month is reflected in its fall in NBA.com's latest power rankings.

Feb 22, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) drives between Utah Jazz forward Cody Williams (5) and forward Kyle Filipowski (22) during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets have undergone a rough stretch of games throughout February, having lost seven of their last 10 games. After starting the month as the second seed in the Western Conference, the Rockets have now dropped to fifth at 35-22, and would not have homecourt advantage if the playoffs started today.

Houston's drop in the standings is reflected in NBA.com's latest power rankings, written by John Schuhmann. The team was once in the top tier of the league but is barely making the top 10 at this point, ranking ninth. The Rockets dropped one spot from last week, as the Indiana Pacers have jumped multiple teams from 11th to sixth.

Despite Houston's February struggles, the team is still in the top five in defensive rating (109.5, fourth) and top 10 in net rating (+4.2, 7th). The problem is in the Rockets' offense, as they are 13th in that rating (113.7). The trend over the last few weeks has been Houston failing to accumulate points when the defense is there, and vice versa.

"The Rockets have been without Fred VanVleet for the last nine games but got Jabari Smith Jr. back from a 22-game absence last week," Schuhmann wrote. "Smith came off the bench against the Wolves but played 38 minutes and shot 4-for-6 from 3-point range. He’s attempted 4.1 3s per mid-range shot this season, up from a ratio of 2.6 through his first two seasons."

"The Rockets lead the league with 36 clutch games, with 14 of their last 15 games being within five points in the last five minutes. They’ve scored only 86 points on 84 clutch possessions (1.02 per) over that stretch, but have managed to split those 14 games."

Houston will have three games at home this week, facing the Milwaukee Bucks, San Antonio Spurs, and Sacramento Kings. The Rockets are 0-1 against the Bucks, 2-1 against the Spurs, and 0-2 against the Kings this season. They'll have the opportunity to pick things up and finish the month on a strong note with the final 25 games of the regular season set to kick off.

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