Gallery: 8/11
4. Houston
Record: 18-7
Last week: 7th
Winners of seven straight, the Rockets are the big mover in this week's power rankings and with good reason. James Harden continues along a path in which he's going to remain part of the MVP conversation all season long, as many expected, and the rest of the rotation has greatly benefitted from Mike D'Antoni's offensive system as well. In Monday's 122-118 home win over the Nets, Eric Gordon scored 24 points off the bench and Ryan Anderson finished with 19 points and six rebounds to supplement Harden's 36 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. Like Oklahoma City with Westbrook, how good Houston can be this season will depend upon how much help Harden gets from the "supporting cast." And through 25 games, those guys have performed well. (Getty)
