After five consecutive wins, the Houston Rockets have moved from 11th to ninth in the Western Conference, from 3½ games behind Memphis to two games out of the last playoff spot.

But little else has changed. When the Rockets head out on a three-game road trip with 10 to play, they will be in almost must-win peril.

"I told them we started something on the road, now we have to go out on the road and win," coach Rick Adelman said. "That's what we have to do to keep this going.

"The pressure is on to keep winning. That's what we tried to do after we lost to San Antonio. We had a tough game with Phoenix and we won it. We beat Boston. Now we want to keep this rolling."

The Rockets' season-best five-game home winning streak has kept them in the race, but no one who had been in the fight before the Rockets' roll has slumped enough to allow them a chance to exhale.