Eric Gordon (22 points, 8-of-13 FG, +19) remained in peak efficiency Sunday night while Gerald Green (25 points, 10-of-15 FG) was once again a key difference-maker off the Houston bench, leading the Rockets (60-14) to an easy 118-99 victory over the Atlanta Hawks (21-53).The league-leading Rockets — winners of 60 games in a season for the first time in franchise history — have now won nine consecutive games and 26 of their last 27. They are 30-2 since James Harden (18/15/10 on Sunday) returned from his hamstring injury on January 18.With the win and losses elsewhere by Toronto (54-20) and Golden State (54-19), Houston effectively has a six-game lead over both teams with only eight left to place in the race for the NBA's best record and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. The "magic number" for the Rockets to clinch the league's top mark is only three, making it a virtually insurmountable lead with so many games still left to play.In our postgame recap, we explore continued promising signs from Gordon and Green while also stepping back to take a broader view of the current NBA landscape and the Rockets' place in it — particularly after bombshell news that Golden State star Stephen Curry will miss at least the first round of the postseason with a Grade 2 MCL injury. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices