Rocket climbers: Houston's journey up the West standings

TORONTO -- The Houston Rockets didn't want to hear about the standings Tuesday night.

Sure, it was nice to get some help across the border as they pulled off another impressive win, fighting off a comeback bid and finishing strong in a 107-95 win over the Toronto Raptors. As the Rockets were running up a 38-point fourth quarter, the clock was ticking down on the two teams directly above them in the Western Conference standings, with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers suffering losses to lottery-bound teams (adding to the theme of the night, the West-leading Golden State Warriors also fell).

So the Rockets -- a team that sat second to last in the West a few months ago --…