ESPN.com - 1st - The Rockets' 17-game winning streak -- five away from the longest in franchise history -- was snapped Friday against the Raptors. Houston was strong on both ends of the court during the streak (which ran from Jan. 28 to March 7), leading the NBA in offensive efficiency and ranking fourth in defensive efficiency, according to NBA.com Advanced Stats.
NBA.com - 2nd - The Rockets didn't miss James Harden in Dallas on Sunday, getting 12 assists from Chris Paul and six threes from Eric Gordon, while holding the Mavs under 90 points per 100 possessions. But they did miss Ryan Anderson in Toronto on Friday, when they could have used his pick-and-pop game against the Raptors' sagging defense and when a 16-point first quarter resulted in the end of their 17-game winning streak. The starting lineup with P.J. Tucker has been solid, but the lineup with Anderson instead of Tucker has been more potent offensively. In fact, the Rockets have had two of the three best offensive lineups among the 62 that have played at least 150 minutes, and they both include Anderson. It's not clear when he'll return (and he'll probably return to coming off the bench), but Harden is expected to play against the Spurs on Monday.
CBSSports.com - 2nd - The Rockets' win streak was finally broken at 17, but it came in a close loss to the best team in the Eastern Conference. There are far worse ways to lose a game and they've managed to hold on to the best record in the NBA.
SI.com - 2nd - The Rockets have been bumped from the top spot after Toronto ended their 17-game win streak. Houston still has a 1 1/2-game lead on the Warriors for first place and homecourt throughout the playoffs.