HOUSTON — On and on and on it goes. Where it ends, nobody knows.

The Houston Rockets’ amazing winning streak hit 22 games this week, with Sunday’s 104–92 win over the Lakers completing their move from 10th place in the West to first. In doing so they’ve proven to be the anti-Knicks — a team who’s whole vastly exceeds the sum of its parts because all the pieces fit so well, and because they play so hard and with such teamwork.

To put the magnitude of this streak into perspective, consider that the Rockets might win more games in this one stretch than the Knicks do the entire season. Or, that they haven’t lost a game in nearly two months. Or that when the streak began, they trailed Portland in the standings by two games — a team they now lead by 11 and a half.

However, extending the streak much further will be a huge challenge. Houston faces east-leading Boston today, in perhaps the toughest test to date during the streak. Survive that and they get to visit New Orleans on the tail end of a back-to-back. Pass that test and it’s out West for a back-to-back against Golden State and Phoenix. Thus, it seems likely that this is the last week that we’ll be talking about the streak in the power rankings.

So it seems fitting to tip our hats to the second-longest streak in league history — trailing only the Lakers’ 33-game romp through the schedule in 1971–72 — by again placing the Rockets on top of the rankings.

1. Houston (46–20) (LW:1): Here’s how good things have been going for the Rockets: They signed Mike Harris to a 10-day contract, and he almost immediately responded with a 10-point fourth quarter in Friday’s win over Charlotte.

2. Boston Celtics (52–13) (2): Those who have criticized Boston’s soft early schedule can zip it after this week, as the Celtics face the dreaded three-game Texas trio and capping it with a trip to New Orleans.

3. Los Angeles Lakers (45– 21) (3): It’s a dangerous time for Lakers. The loss of Pau Gasol to a sprained ankle leaves L.A. Mischa Barton-thin up front, and Andrew Bynum still looks a long way from returning.

4. Detroit Pistons (48–18) (4): Quietly humming after Sunday’s blowout of New Orleans, but I’m getting a little concerned that they’re giving Theo Ratliff minutes at the expense of the vastly more productive Jason Maxiell.

5. Dallas Mavericks (44– 23) (10): Don’t look now, but Mr. Kidd’s new employers are starting to make a bit of a move up the standings. They haven’t played anybody good since losing to the Rockets though.

6. Utah Jazz (44–24) (5): What can you say about a team that follows a rousing 18-point win in Boston with a humbling loss to New Jersey? How about that their defense still isn’t consistent enough to rule the West.

7. Orlando Magic (44–24) (7): Quietly rolling to the no. 3 seed in the East, even though nobody is yet taking them seriously as contenders to win the conference. A more consistent backcourt would go a long way toward quieting the doubters.

8. New Orleans Hornets (44–21) (8): An elite team when healthy, but that hasn’t been often lately. Losing All-Star power forward David West to ankle trouble again is a serious blow, as the frontcourt in particular lacks depth.

9. Denver Nuggets (40–26) (12): They hung 137 on the Raptors, then a historic 168 on the Sonics, while winning three games by a combined 96 points. The return of guard Chucky Atkins from injury has been key, as Nuggies need his shooting stroke.

10. San Antonio Spurs (44– 22) (6): We’ve become so used to them making a late-season surge that we’re all shocked it hasn’t happened yet. Instead, Spurs took a three-game losing streak into yesterday’s showdown against Celtics.

11. Phoenix Suns (44–22) (14): The Suns have regained their footing after wobbling in the wake of the Shaq trade, but they still haven’t beaten a decent team on the road since cutting the deal.

12. Golden State Warriors (41–24) (9): Nelly’s helterskelter outfit has been way too good to miss the playoffs … except that they might, because somebody has to and the other likely candidate, the Nuggets, are suddenly on a roll.

13. Philadelphia 76ers (33–34) (13): Don’t look now, but the Sixers are poised to pass Toronto for the no. 5 seed in the East. And if you don’t think they can beat Cleveland in the first round, then you clearly haven’t been watching.

14. Cleveland Cavaliers (38–29) (15): LeBron continues to amaze individually, but the two-point loss to a short-handed Washington team was the latest sign that the Cavs are something then less than a conference-champion caliber team this time around.

15. Portland Trail Blazers (35–32) (17): Playoff hopes sailed off a long-time ago, but a .500-plus season would still be a remarkable accomplishment for a team expected to accomplish little with Greg Oden sidelined.

16. Toronto Raptors (34– 32) (11): I thought this team could threaten the East’s powers, but without Chris Bosh, the Raps are enduring nightly routs on their current Western swing. Now it seems they could fall as low as no. 7 seed in East.

17. Washington Wizards (33–32) (16): They have done an impressive job hanging in without two All-Stars, and it appears Gilbert Arenas may be returning soon.

18. Atlanta Hawks (28–38) (20): Yes, it was just the Knicks, but Atlanta’s win in MSG puts them back in control of the race for the no. 8 seed in the East. It helps that Joe Johnson is back on his game after a horrid midseason slump.

19. Sacramento Kings (30– 36) (19): They’re juggling a lot of different agendas between trying to keep Ron Artest happy and still finding minutes for young guys like Francisco Garcia, John Salmons, and Kevin Martin.

20. Chicago Bulls (26–39) (18): The big question at this point isn’t whether they make the playoffs, but rather what they do in the offseason. A coaching change seems certain, as do some major alterations in the backcourt.

21. Indiana Pacers (25–41) (21): The Pacers keep vainly making an effort to stay in playoff race, and with four losing steams on their schedule this week, this is the time when they have to make a move.

22. New Jersey Nets (28– 38) (23): The win over Utah was huge, because on paper it looked like an automatic L, and instead it allowed them to keep pace with Atlanta for the no. 8 seed. The two sides meet tomorrow in the swamp.

23. Charlotte Bobcats (24–42) (22): If the Cats have any hope of making postseason run, they have to take advantage of this week’s Memphis-Indiana- Miami slate before they head for a West Coast trip.

24. Milwaukee Bucks (23–43) (24): Miami and Chicago obviously rank higher on the list of the league’s biggest disappointments, but these guys can’t be too far behind — especially given their repeated shameful defensive efforts.

25. L.A. Clippers (21–44) (26): Exiled Miami guard Flip Murray finally landed in L.A. this week … and in the first minute of his first game as a Clipper, he picked up a technical. Nice.

26. New York Knicks (19–47) (25): The players aren’t exactly making a big push to save Isiah’s job, are they? Knicks’ only wins since February 22 are against the Heat and Bobcats.

27. Minnesota Timberwolves (15–50) (27): Over the past three weeks, they’re 3–2 on the road, which might be more impressive if they hadn’t lost all their home games in that span.

28. Memphis Grizzlies (15–50) (28): Watching these guys run up a white flag every night makes the Nets’ loss to Memphis in March 5 look even more shameful. And yes, I’ll keep mentioning this until the Grizzlies beat somebody else.

29. Seattle Supersonics (16–51) (29): Apparently P.J.’s project to build the Sonics in the mold of the San Antonio Spurs has hit a little snag; witness that 168 the Nuggets hung on his squad Sunday night.

30. Miami Heat (11–54) (30): And now, the Heat are officially snakebit: They trade for Shawn Marion, who never, ever gets hurt, and about the first thing he does in Miami is get hurt. Michael Beasley, you’ve got next.

jhollinger@nysun.com