Dec 29, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) dribbles the ball during the fourth quarter as Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) defends at Toyota Center. The Wizards defeated the Rockets 104-103. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Wizards are 22-8. They’re tied for the second-best record in the Eastern Conference behind the Toronto Raptors (24-7), and the fourth-best overall mark in the league after the Golden State Warriors (24-5) and Portland Trail Blazers (25-7) as well.

On Monday night the Wizards got their most impressive win of the season, downing the Rockets (21-9) in Houston, 104-103.

Beating a Western Conference opponent on the road is always a nice accomplishment–even more so when it’s a club playing .700 ball that features a perennial All-Star center, Dwight Howard, and one of the leading 2014-15 MVP candidates, James Harden.

But in Washington’s case, this victory was significant for a number of other reasons as well.

First, it shows that the Wizards are for real and ready to play with the big boys. The Rockets own the best winning percentage (.724 before the game) of any team Washington has defeated so far this season.

To this point in the year the Wizards benefited from a soft schedule. Their previous road victories came in Orlando (twice), New York (twice), Indiana, Milwaukee and Miami. None of those teams have winning records. In fact, the win in Houston was just the third all season by the Wizards against a squad that is currently over .500.

The victory improved Washington’s record in games decided by three points or fewer to 6-1. For an up-and-coming team trying to build confidence and prove itself as a contender, winning nearly all its close games is an excellent step in that direction.

It also marked the fourth straight road conquest for Washington, turning what had been a .500 record away from home (4-4) into an impressive 8-4.

The manner in which the Wizards earned the W was noteworthy as well. John Wall is developing into a superstar, but Washington was able to win in Houston without their best player leading the way. Wall scored just 13 points on 4-for-10 shooting. Instead it was Bradley Beal, who poured in a season-high 33 points in his best outing since breaking his hand in the preseason.

Even more impressive may have been the play of 37-year-old Paul Pierce. After losing small forward Trevor Ariza to the Rockets via free agency last summer, the Wizards brought in Pierce to replace him. The veteran out-dueled his much-younger counterpart, scoring 21 points while shooting 7-for-9 from the floor and 6-for-6 at the free-throw line.

Pierce also knocked down this huge three-pointer with just over a minute remaining to help seal the victory:

Heading into the game the Wizards were just a 73.2 percent free-throw shooting team for the season. However, on this night they showed incredible poise by knocking down 26 of 28 attempts (92.9 percent), including all 12 in the fourth quarter and six in the final minute to fend off a furious comeback by the Rockets.

With a brutal road trip continuing in Dallas, Oklahoma City, San Antonio and New Orleans over its next four contests, Washington will have a chance to prove it belongs among the NBA’s elite.

#dcRising RT @nbastats: Per Elias, #Wizards 22-8 start is best through 30 GP since ’74-75. They started 22-8 that season en route to Finals — Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) December 30, 2014

If the Wizards continue to play the way they did against the Rockets, the franchise’s first NBA Finals berth since the 1970s could be within reach.