Jan 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (left) walks on the court with assistant coach Garrett Jackson before the game against the Chicago Bulls at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Rockets Take Major Drop in Latest Power Rankings

Originally posted on Houston Rockets on SI
By Anthony Duckett | Last updated Jan 14, 2026 2:00 PM ET

The Houston Rockets have been the laughing stock of the Western Conference of late.

They can't beat the bottom teams of the Conference.

The Sacramento Kings beat the Rockets 111-98 on Sunday night and the game didn't even feel that close.

(Even though the game wasn't close by any stretch, based on the final score).

The Kings have seized victory over the Rockets, even in heart-breaking, buzzer-beating fashion also.

They aren't afraid of Houston.

Their social media administrators even trolled the Rockets on Twitter (or X) afterwards.

new year, same traditions #LightTheBeam https://t.co/XgCCO8zmsu pic.twitter.com/37tDm9F1Bu
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) January 12, 2026

The Rockets made a lot of moves in the summer. One would think they didn't expect to struggle against the worst in the West.

One can only imagine.

Yet, the Rockets find themselves seventh in the Western Conference, heading into their Tuesday night game against the Chicago Bulls.

A play-in seed would be a major disappointment. The team finished second in the West prior to adding Durant.

Granted, that would still be an improvement over Durant's last season with the Phoenix Suns, as they didn't even qualify for the play-in tournament.

Speaking of the Suns, they've catapulted the Rockets. They rank sixth in the conference standings, with a 24-15 record.

With that being the case, the Suns have also surpassed the Rockets in NBC Sports' power rankings.

It's only right. The Rockets came in seventh, while Phoenix came in sixth.

The writer, Kurt Helin, gave his reasoning.

"Alperen Sengun’s absence for essentially four games (he only played one minute in the game he got injured) showed exactly how much the Rockets depend on him, and why he should be an All-Star. The Rockets don’t take a lot of 3-pointers (31.2 a game, 29th in the league) but make a top-five 37.2% when they do. Without Sengun on Friday against Portland, the team went 1-of-17 from 3 in the fourth quarter and lost. With him out, plus the one game he returned (a loss to the Kings), the Rockets are shooting a league worst 24.3%. The Rockets will try to get right with five straight home games, but that includes a Thursday-Friday back-to-back against the Thunder and Timberwolves."

The going will get tough for Houston, as they not only face the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves, but also the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons.

All told, Houston dropped from fourth to eighth.

This article first appeared on Houston Rockets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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