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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