I hope you took the opportunity to milk every last Houston wager during their 22-game streak, because they went a whopping 19-3 against the spread before burning out to the defensive-minded Celtics on Tuesday.

Now that the Rockets have finally fallen from grace, the question is, will they still be the same intense squad that was bum-rushing opponents every night?

Check my feedback on them and other good/bad bets in the NBA power rankings for Week 21:

Best Bets

5. Los Angeles Lakers 40-25-1 ATS (Last 10: 4-6)

I'm letting the Lakers hang at No. 5 because they've been so good to bettors for so long. But the longer Pau Gasol is out of the lineup with a sprained ankle, the more the Lakeshow will drop. He missed the Lakers' loss to Houston, their win (and cover) over Dallas and will likely miss the clash with the Utah Jazz on Thursday. If Gasol makes it back after that and has his usual 18-point, eight-rebound evenings, consider them back to being guaranteed money almost every night.

4. Boston Celtics 41-24-2 ATS (Last 10: 8-2)

The Boston Celtics had a rough patch earlier in the year when Kevin Garnett was nursing an abdominal injury, but now that he's 100 percent, they're back to being a force defensively. They've gone 13-1 straight up and 10-4 ATS in their last 14. "I've never seen defense like that," Rockets guard Tracy McGrady said after being held to eight points in Tuesday night's 94-74 loss. "I mean, if they play defense like that, night in and night out, the NBA is in trouble."

So will anyone who bets against them.

3. Philadelphia 76ers 37-27-3 ATS (Last 10: 8-2)

While the Rockets have been eating up all the press, the 76ers have been a quiet storm in the NBA since the All-Star break. I've already given props to the defense and Andre Iguodala, but another player who’s been key to Philly's resurgence is the other Andre, point guard Andre Miller. He's still as effective as Shaquille O'Neal from 3-point land (20.6 percent from the 3 in his 10-year career), but Miller's been balling at a high level since the break. Over the last 10, he's averaging 18.3 points and 6.3 assists.

2. Orlando Magic 43-24-2 ATS (Last 10: 6-3-1)

Everybody's rolling with Kobe Bryant for MVP, and trust me, I'm riding shotgun. But Magic center Dwight Howard deserves to at least be in the conversation. The Magic are about to clinch the Southeast Division, and the man-child is averaging a career-high in points (21.7 per game), rebounds (a league-leading 14.4 per game), blocks (2.3 per game) and leads the league in double-doubles (59). Howard hasn't dipped below double-digit boards in 14 games, and the Magic have gone 9-4-1 ATS during that stretch.
 

1. Houston Rockets 40-26-1 (Last 10: 8-2 ATS)

Part of me knew the streak was going to end sooner rather than later when Rafer Alston went "Skip 2 My Lou" on Sasha Vujacic in the final seconds of Rockets' 104-92 win over the Lakers. Alston was starting to get cocky, and regardless of how good they could've kept playing, other teams weren't going to let themselves be a part of Houston's history much longer. The question now is, can they get that championship swagger back? It's going to be tough with 10 of their last 15 games on the road. Plus, the NBA's elite has been working harder to keep McGrady under wraps. He's put up just 19 points combined in the last two games.

Bad Bets

5. Milwaukee Bucks 29-37 ATS (Last 10: 3-7)

I'm starting to believe that the Bucks have been so bad for so long because of their boring team colors and logo. C'mon, forest green with a deer logo that looks like it should be on a hunter's permit? Who wouldn't play badly with these sleep-inducing uniforms? The other issue with Milwaukee is that shooting guard Michael Redd is the only player on the team that can consistently top 20 points. Center Andrew Bogut doesn't have the athleticism, rookie forward Yi Jianlian doesn't have the strength and Charlie Villanueva doesn’t make the effort. The result is a 1-9 SU record in their last 10.

4. Los Angeles Clippers 27-39 ATS (Last 10: 2-8)

It's been said that point guard Sam Cassell was been the heart and soul of the Clippers since he arrived in 2005. Since Cassell last played for them on Feb. 20, the Clippers have gone 4-11 ATS. It looks like after a brief stint with respectability between 2005 and 2007, the Clippers are back to being the "other" L.A. team.

3. Miami Heat 25-40-1 ATS (Last 10: 6-4)

It just goes from bad to worse for the Heat since Shawn Marion has been struggling with back issues the past couple of games. Miami was doing pretty well ATS since Dwyane Wade was shelved (5-1 ATS), but if they lose Marion for an extended period of time, expect this squad to nosedive again.

2. New Jersey Nets 25-40-2 ATS (Last 10: 3-6-1)

With Devin Harris averaging 18.4 points in his first five games as a Net, I was starting to think New Jersey got the better end of the Jason Kidd deal. But since then, he's been erratic, putting up just 12.2 points per game with only 4.6 assists. Kidd didn't score much for the Nets, but at least he brought eight or nine dimes a night. Since Harris' arrival, the Nets have gone 3-6-1 ATS.

1. Memphis Grizzlies 27-38-1 ATS (Last 10: 3-7)

I know that point guard Mike Conley Jr. is just a rookie, but with all the starter minutes he's had in the second half, he hasn't shown me anything on the court that says "fourth pick overall." He's averaging just 8.1 points and 3.8 assists, and it's not like Memphis is stacked with scorers. Not one of the Grizzlies average over 20 points per game. Unless he ups his numbers down the stretch, the Grizz are going to close out the year as the worst bet in the NBA.