The Houston Rockets defeated the Atlanta Hawks last night, 100-96. The win comes on the second half of a back-to-back, as the Rockets defeated the Boston Celtics in TD Garden the previous night. This win at State Farm Arena was yet another test, as Houston has built a legitimate resume this season.

Despite sitting in second place in the Western Conference and boasting a haul of future draft picks, the Houston Rockets don't seem like they will

Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. Josue got his start as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com. He grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media, where he is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.

HOUSTON — "That was my first game-winner! I feel like Kobe," said 21-year-old Amen Thompson in a quote circulating among Houston sports fans. During Monday night's game against the Celtics, Thompson scored a career-high 33 points on 13-of-19 shooting. The game itself had a playoff atmosphere for several reasons.

Since about the second week of the season, the NBA's best teams -- in some order -- have been the Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics. Well folks, it's time to make room for the Houston Rockets,

While regular season games can begin to feel monotonous during an 82-game NBA season, Oklahoma City is using each opportunity to improve.

To Amen Thompson's surprise, with five seconds left in a tied midseason game against the defending NBA champions, Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka called a play for the second-year forward. "I liked the matchup,

In 10 home games at Toyota Center versus the NBA’s other top teams, the Rockets are 9-1. Players such as Fred VanVleet are noticing.

Amen Thompson's activity on rebounding and defense as a starter has placed him among two of the NBA's best big men.

As of Sunday night, the Rockets are sixth in the league in net rating at +6.1. Their defense is third in the league with a defensive rating of 107.3. But the offense has now crept all the way up to eleventh league-wide with an offensive rating of 113.4. Houston is inching closer to having both a top 10 defense and offense.

A week before the NBA's trade deadline, USA TODAY Sports looks at where teams stand and their chances of winning the title:

Former Oregon basketball star Dillon Brooks was unstoppable Monday night, taking down defending NBA champions in a thrilling matchup and tying a Houston Rockets franchise record for 3-pointers made in a game.