[OFFICIAL] 2025-2026 Power Rankings thread

and just like that we're good again

https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2025-26-week-12-v2

#4
Houston RocketsLast Week:6↑
Record: 21-11

OffRtg: 121.2 (3) DefRtg:112.5 (6) NetRtg: +8.6 (2) Pace: 97.1 (28)

The Rockets still have the league’s second-best point differential, but they’re in fifth place in the West, and their four-game winning streak came to an end with an ugly game in Dallas on Saturday.

Three takeaways

• Still lacking a point guard, the Rockets have seen the league’s biggest jump in turnover rate, from 14.0 per 100 possessions (11th lowest) last season to 16.2 (second highest) this season. The game in Dallas on Saturday was actually the first time since November (15 games) that they committed fewer turnovers than their opponent, and they had 25 more shot opportunities than the Mavs, the second-biggest differential in the league this season. But shooting just 50% in the paint and 10-for-41 (24%) from 3-point range, it was still their worst offensive game (104 points on 101 possessions) of their 32.

• The loss was just briefly within five points in the last five minutes, but the Rockets have now lost their last four clutch games, allowing 73 points on 55 clutch possessions (133 per 100) over that stretch. Their 21 wins have come by an average of 16.7 points, while their 11 losses have been by an average of just 6.8. So they’re 21-11 with the point differential of a team that’s 25-7.

• The Rockets rank second in the percentage of their shots (14%) that have come from between the paint and the 3-point line. They’re only 18th in mid-range field goal percentage (40.7%), but shot 32-for-54 (59%) from mid-range over their four-game winning streak. This would be the sixth time in the 13 seasons of tracking data that Kevin Durant has shot 50% or better on at least 200 pull-up 2-point attempts, tying him with Chris Paul for the most seasons for any player in that stretch.

Coming up: The Rockets’ schedule remains road-heavy for another week, but they’ll have a rest advantage at home against the Suns on Monday, and they’ll face only the Blazers and Kings on the ensuing three-game trip. They did lose in Sacramento 15 days ago, blowing a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead and coming up short in overtime.

Week 12: vs. PHX, @ POR, @ POR, @ SAC
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The Athletic calls us one of the "top contenders" . . . so suck it, knee jerkers

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/69...power-rankings-celtics-rockets-lakers-knicks/

excerpt:

Fine print: These Power Rankings won’t just rank every team. We’ll retain the tiers that teams will be promoted into and relegated out of. There will be five tiers each week:

• Top Contenders — Locked at five, these are the class of the league
• In a Good Place — Could be one team, could be seven teams
• The Bubble — Not to be confused with Walt Disney World. The middle of the pack
• Not the Tier to Fear — Not playing the worst ball in the league, but with a lot of work to do
• Basement Floor — Bringing up the rear

***

5. Houston Rockets (21-11)
Last ranking: 6
In the last week: W vs IND, W at BRK, L at DAL
Offensive rating: 121.2 (third place)
Defensive rating: 112.5 (sixth place)

2026 resolution: Reed Sheppard’s assertiveness

Sheppard is coming off one of his least impactful games of the season Saturday in Dallas, finishing with more fouls (four) than buckets (3-of-10 shooting) while the Rockets were outscored by 24 points in his minutes despite losing by only six points. There aren’t many ballhandling options in Houston, and even fewer of those options can confidently make shots. The Rockets are 11-4 when Sheppard scores more than 12 points this season; it’s not a requirement for Houston’s success, but it could be a part of the ceiling for this Rockets team.

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eye test confirms

https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2025-26-week-13

#9
Houston RocketsLast Week:4↓
Record: 22-14

OffRtg: 119.8 (4) DefRtg: 112.6 (8) NetRtg: +7.3 (3) Pace: 96.7 (28)

The Rockets have slid into seventh place in the West, having lost four of their last five games, with the only win coming when Kevin Durant saved them with a 28-foot, pull-up game-winner over Royce O’Neale last Monday.

Three takeaways

• Amazingly, the Rockets are still in the top eight on both ends of the floor, with the league’s second-best per-game point differential. Each of their last four losses has been within five points in the last five minutes, and they still have the league’s best record (15-2) in games that weren’t within five in the last five.

• But the Rockets’ last seven losses have all come against teams with losing records. The Kings have won just three of their last 16 games and two of those wins came against Houston. The last five games have also been the Rockets’ worst stretch of offense (107.4 points scored per 100 possessions) all season, with players not named Durant or Amen Thompson having shot 34%.

• Alperen Sengun missed three of those games before returning to the lineup on Sunday, when his teammates were probably road weary. The Rockets have played the league’s most road-heavy schedule by a wide margin, with only 13 of their 36 games having come at home. They’re still 11-2 at the Toyota Center and will now begin their first of two five-game homestands.

Coming up: The Rockets are 0-3 in the second games of back-to-backs, but they’re the only team that hasn’t played a rest-disadvantage game yet. Their first is Friday, the second game of a huge back-to-back against the Thunder and Wolves. They’re currently 5-4 against the six teams ahead of them in the West.

Week 13: vs. CHI, vs. OKC, vs. MIN, vs. NOP


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that didn't last long

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6963188/2026/01/12/nba-power-rankings-timberwolves-rockets-knicks/

Tier 3: The Bubble
9. Houston Rockets (22-14)
Last ranking: 5
In the last week: W vs PHO, L at POR, L at POR, L at SAC
Offensive rating: 119.8 (fourth place)
Defensive rating: 112.6 (eighth place)

Preseason win total: 52.5
On pace to win: 50

Just add Durant to a top defense, and that fixes everything … right? It seems like the absence of Fred VanVleet is stressing Houston out even more than expected, and it will be interesting to see if Houston makes a trade to give Durant some relief. Ime Udoka has found something to call out the Rockets for on an increasing basis, but he’s Captain Obvious when discussing how unwise it is to have to play the 37-year-old Durant as many minutes as Durant is getting at his age.

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https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2025-26-week-14

* * *
Week 14 Team to Watch

• Houston — The Rockets have been treading water for a while, but they’ll face three big tests this week, hosting the Spurs on Tuesday and then taking a two-game trip through Philadelphia and Detroit.

* * *

#8
Houston RocketsLast Week:9↑
Record: 25-15

OffRtg: 119.1 (4) DefRtg: 112.6 (8) NetRtg: +6.5 (4) Pace: 96.8 (28)

The Rockets haven’t quite emerged from their January slump, but they’ve won two straight games, edging the Wolves (without Anthony Edwards) and taking care of business against the Pelicans.

Three takeaways

• The Rockets trailed the Thunder by just two points after the third quarter on Thursday, but they got doubled up (34-16) in the fourth and are now 1-5 against the top three teams in the West (Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Denver). They’ve scored just 110.7 points per 100 possessions over those six games, even though they’ve shot well (40.9%) from 3-point range. They’ve committed a ton of turnovers (19 per 100 possessions) and the loss on Thursday was their worst paint shooting game (22-for-59, 37%) of the season.

• Though they’re just 9-9 (ninth in the West) over the last five weeks, the Rockets are still 14-3 (second best in the league) at home, with that loss to the Thunder being their only home defeat since Nov. 21. They’ve still played the league’s most road-heavy schedule, with only 17 of their 40 games having come at the Toyota Center.

• Against the Pelicans on Sunday, Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams started together for the first time since Nov. 21 (Game 14). Adams recorded his fourth double-double of the season, but suffered a sprained left ankle early in the fourth quarter. The Rockets have been at their best (plus-11.8 points per 100 possessions) with Adams on the floor.

Coming up: The Rockets will face the Spurs twice in the next two weeks, and they’ll have a rest advantage on Tuesday. They’ll be at a disadvantage three nights later in Detroit, with Durant having averaged 37.7 points in seven games at Little Caesars Arena, the highest average for any active player in any arena (minimum five games).

Week 14: vs. SAS, @ PHI, @ DET


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and just like that we're good again

https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2025-26-week-15

#3
Houston RocketsLast Week:8↑
Record: 27-16

OffRtg: 118.7 (4) DefRtg: 112.5 (8) NetRtg: +6.2 (4) Pace: 96.8 (27)

The Rockets lost in overtime in Philadelphia on Thursday, but they have wins over the Wolves, Spurs and Pistons in the last 10 days. Only Detroit (14-6) has been better in games played between the 17 teams currently over .500 than Houston (15-7).

Three takeaways

• The Rockets are 1-5 in overtime games after the loss in Philly, in which they committed six turnovers on 16 clutch possessions. They rank 28th in clutch turnover rate (15.5 per 100 possessions) and 20th in clutch efficiency (108.7 points scored per 100).

• But while they’re just 10-13 in games that were within five points in the last five minutes, the Rockets are 17-3 in games that weren’t within five in the last five. And they handed Detroit its third non-clutch loss on Friday, even though they were playing less than 24 hours after the OT loss in Philly. The Rockets lost their first three games of the season without rest, but are 2-0 in the second games of back-to-backs in January, with rest-disadvantage wins over the Wolves and Pistons. They played just eight guys on Friday and, while Kevin Durant had eight turnovers in the Philly loss, he shot 24-for-40 (60%) as he played almost 85 total minutes over the back-to-back.

• Ten of the Rockets’ last 12 games have been determined by single digits, in part because they rank just 25th offensively (110.6 points scored per 100 possessions) over that stretch. They ranked second in 3-point percentage (40.0%) through their first 31 games, but are 30th (30.5%) over their last 12.

Coming up: Even with the win in Detroit on Friday, the Rockets have the league’s biggest differential between their home record (15-3) and their road record (12-13). They’ve got 10 games before the All-Star break and seven of them are at the Toyota Center, with the Spurs making a return visit on Wednesday. Reed Sheppard had a huge fourth quarter (12 points on 4-for-7 shooting) as the Rockets came back from 16 down to beat San Antonio last week.

Week 15: vs. MEM, vs. SAS, @ ATL, vs. DAL


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The Athletic:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6999162/2026/01/26/nba-power-rankings-celtics-rockets-pistons/

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3. Houston Rockets (27-16)
Last ranking: 6
In the last week: W vs SA, L at PHI, W at DET
Offensive rating: 118.7 (fourth place)
Defensive rating: 112.5 (eighth place)

First-quarter grade: A
Second-quarter grade: B-

This may seem lofty, considering how relatively unimpressive the Rockets were in the second quarter. Houston was actually the last team to reach 41 games, which it hit with a win Tuesday against the Spurs. The Rockets only went 11-10 in the second quarter of the season, as the defense fell off significantly. A bad goaltending call still resulted in an overtime loss at Philadelphia. But then the Rockets bounced back and won at Detroit on the second night of a back-to-back. That’s a solid week of wins. They’re going to miss Steven Adams for a while because of an ankle injury, but Adams’ durability concerns are why Clint Capela was signed.

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https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2025-26-week-16

#4
Houston RocketsLast Week:3↓
Record: 30-17

OffRtg: 117.8 (5) DefRtg: 111.9 (5) NetRtg: +6.0 (4) Pace: 96.8 (27)

The Rockets lost a rematch with the Spurs on Wednesday, blowing a double-digit, second-half lead. But they’ve won seven of their last nine games overall and are just a game in the loss column behind second-place San Antonio.

Three takeaways

• With the loss to the Spurs, the Rockets are just 2-6 in games played between the top four teams in the West, having scored just 109.5 points per 100 possessions over the eight games. That includes just 23 on 39 (0.59 per) as they were doubled-up by the Spurs (46-23) over the final 19 minutes on Wednesday. After huge game (33 points on 15-for-17 shooting two nights earlier), Alperen Sengun has shot just 16-for-54 (29.6%) over the last three, though he had the go-ahead bucket with less than 30 seconds left against Dallas on Saturday.

• The offense has struggled for much of 2026, and the Rockets just aren’t getting much production from beyond the arc these days. But the last five games have been their best stretch of defense (104.8 points allowed per 100 possessions) this season. Of course, three of those games came against teams that rank in the bottom 10 offensively, and they’ll face three top-10 offenses this week.

• The Rockets announced on Wednesday that Steven Adams will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left ankle. They were at their best (plus-11.8 points per 100 possessions) with Adams on the floor, but have still been a terrific offensive rebounding team (38.4%) with him off the floor.

Coming up: The Rockets are 0-2 against the Thunder, with the last meeting having been their worst offensive performance of the season (91 points on 100 possessions). The third (and final) meeting is Saturday in Oklahoma City.

Week 16: @ IND, vs. BOS, vs. CHA, @ OKC


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The Athletic

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7015585/2026/02/02/nba-power-rankings-nuggets-timberwolves-knicks/

5. Houston Rockets (30-17)
Last ranking: 3
In the last week: W vs MEM, L vs SA, W at ATL, W vs DAL
Offensive rating: 117.8 (fifth place)
Defensive rating: 111.9 (fifth place)

Trade deadline Photoshop: PG Ja Morant

Let’s get blasphemous. Houston could trade Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams, both out for the season, to a Memphis Grizzlies team that could tank accordingly. I realize this trade would not happen for a variety of reasons (moving on from a culture guy like VanVleet for the wild card that is Morant would be nasty work), but the alternative is doing nothing while the Rockets struggle to run offense in clutch time. The Rockets are a powerful basketball team, but they are as shaky as it gets if they have to play relevant fourth-quarter minutes.

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alright, changing the topic from KD's burner account

https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2025-26-week-18

#8
Houston RocketsLast Week:7↓
Record: 33-20

OffRtg: 117.0 (6) DefRtg: 112.0 (5) NetRtg: +5.0 (6) Pace: 96.6 (28)

The Rockets rank 28th offensively over the last six weeks, but they’re still in the top four in the West with the easiest post-break schedule among teams in the top eight.

Three numbers to know

• The Rockets have retained 39.9% of available offensive rebounds, the highest rate for any team in the 30 seasons of play-by-play data. If you took away every team’s second-chance points, they would rank 22nd offensively (98.3 points scored per 100 possessions). But with second-chance points included, they rank sixth.

• They’re one of two teams – the Clippers are the other – that rank in the bottom two in both ball movement (299 passes per 24 minutes of possession, 29th) and player movement (9.7 miles traveled per 24 minutes of possession, 30th).

• The Rockets rank sixth in 3-point percentage (37.0%), with Tari Eason (46.0%) fourth among individuals. But Houston is 30th in the percentage of its shots (34.0%) that have come from 3-point range and has been outscored by 2.1 points per game from beyond the arc.

Coming up: The Rockets lost at home to the Hornets less than two weeks ago and they’ll begin their post-break schedule in Charlotte on Thursday. They’re playing five of their next seven games against the Eastern Conference.

Week 18: @ CHA, @ NYK


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treading water

https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2025-26-week-19

#8
Houston Rockets
Last Week: 8
Record: 34-21

OffRtg: 116.8 (8) DefRtg: 112.0 (6) NetRtg: +4.9 (6) Pace: 96.5 (29)

The Rockets were on their way to an impressive, two-game road trip through Charlotte and New York, but then blew an 18-point, fourth-quarter lead at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, turning the ball over nine times in the last 10 1/2 minutes.

Three takeaways

• Both games went down to the wire, and while the Rockets did enough to beat the Hornets, they came up empty against the Knicks, scoring just seven points (with six turnovers) on 11 clutch offensive possessions. They rank 20th in clutch effective field goal percentage (47.1%) and 29th in clutch turnover rate (16.3 per 100 possessions), with three of the 12 players who have committed at least 10 clutch turnovers this season.

• Overall, the Rockets have scored more efficiently than the league average (114.4 points per 100 possessions) in just five of their last 24 games, having done so in 25 of their first 31. They rank just 25th offensively since Jan. 1, and have been especially anemic (102.6 scored per 100) with Kevin Durant off the floor over that stretch. They were outscored by 17 points in his 9:40 on the bench in their two-point loss in New York on Saturday.

• In Charlotte, Durant shot 8-for-10 from mid-range, draining a tough pull-up to put the Rockets up five with a little more than 20 seconds left. In New York, he shot 1-for-7 from mid-range, missing a tough pull-up for the tie with 20 left. He’s still shooting better than 50% on pull-up 2-pointers for what would be the fourth time in the last five seasons.

Coming up: The Rockets haven’t been great (19-11) against the 14 teams that currently have losing records, but they’re 8-2 against that group since mid-January, with the only two losses coming to the teams – the Hornets and Clippers – that have been playing much better over the last several weeks. They’ll return home to face the Jazz and Kings before heading back East for a three-game trip.

Week 19: vs. UTA, vs. SAC, @ ORL, @ MIA


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