Houston Rockets vs Brooklyn Nets
When: 6:00 PM  ET, Sunday, January 15, 2017
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York

TV: 6 p.m. ET, ROOT (Houston), YES (Brooklyn)
PREDICTION: Rockets 125, Nets 111

Oddsmakers currently have the BROOKLYN listed as 13 point favorites versus the HOUSTON, while the game’s total is sitting at 233.5.

NEW YORK — The Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets are among the leaders in attempted 3-pointers.

The differences between the teams is how many actually go in and for the Rockets they will attempt to rebound from a dreadful perimeter showing Sunday night when they visit the Nets.

Houston leads the league in 3-point attempts at 39.9 per game and 1,675 overall. It is a significant increase from the 26.9 attempted last season and more on par with 2014-15 when the Rockets took 32.2 per game and won 56 games.

Houston also makes 37.2 percent of its threes, which places it in the top 10. James Harden makes 34.8 percent of his 3-pointers while free agent acquisitions Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon are at over .500.

The Rockets will be looking to get those figures back to normal after shooting 3 of 24 from long range in the second half of Friday’s 110-105 home loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. The Rockets shot 24.4 percent (10 of 41) from long range, their third-lowest percentage of the season and wound up blowing a 16-point lead.

It was the fifth time the Rockets shot under 30 percent from 3-point range and it also marked the first time Houston dropped consecutive games this season.

From Dec. 26 to Jan. 10, the Rockets shot 36.6 percent from 3-point range during a nine-game winning streak. In its first losing streak of the season, Houston is at 30.1 percent from 3-point range.

“I didn’t think we were going to go all year without any kind of problems or any kind of tough spots,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “This is a tough spot.”

The primary culprits were Trevor Ariza and Anderson, who were a combined 2 of 14. Harden was 2 of 7 and Gordon was 3 of 9 after missing two games with a toe injury.

“We didn’t make shots,” Harden said. “Trevor had a really good look, Ryan had a really good look. Simple.”

A multitude of problems make the Nets the league’s worst team at 8-31 and 4-26 since Nov. 12. They have taken the fourth-most 3-point attempts this season and their 32.9 tries per game are third.

Those are negated by a 3-point percentage of 33.7 percent, which is the third-worst in the league. The Nets are shooting 35.2 percent in their season-high nine-game losing streak but are allowing 112.6 points per game, opponents to shoot 46.2 percent and have posted a defensive rating of 107.4.

None of those games have been played with Jeremy Lin, who reinjured his left hamstring in the third quarter Dec. 26 against Charlotte. Lin has only played 12 games and the Nets 5-22 in the games he has sat.

Lin is not expected to play Sunday despite a promotion of his own bobblehead doll being handed out to fans.

Of course, the Nets have many other issues besides an injured player not playing on a giveaway night. Besides getting their promotional items fans might be watching the Nets lose 10 straight for the second time in nine months after the team ended last season with 10 consecutive defeats.

Many of those were poor traits were on display in the fourth quarter of a 132-113 loss at Toronto Friday. The Nets were down 90-89 through three but gave up 42 points in the final 12 minutes and wound up with their 19th double-digit loss of the season.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 23 points and Brook Lopez added 20 despite shooting 6 of 17. In the decisive fourth quarter, Bogdanovic and Lopez were a combined 2 of 8 and a minus-32 as the Nets allowed the Raptors to hit 7 of 13 3-pointer and shoot 61 percent.

“I came out and I definitely hurt us,” Lopez said. “I absolutely have to make better plays coming out in the fourth.” Lopez said. “Absolutely we didn’t respond. I didn’t respond the right way. You’ve just got to get back, continue playing defense.”

Often the implosion occurs in the third quarter but in the last two games, the fourth is the problem. The last two fourth quarter collapses have resulted in Brooklyn being outscored 73-38 while giving up runs of 13-0 and 21-2.

“We get in a black hole in the beginning of the fourth quarter,” Bogdanovic said. “We have to extend those good minutes we played for three quarters. “Almost every game we have those three or four minutes that we permit the other team to make a run on us.

Houston is 17-3 in the last 20 meetings with the Nets. Harden scored 36 points and the Rockets shot 39.5 percent from long range in a 122-118 home win on Dec. 12.

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Memphis Grizzlies vs Houston Rockets
When: 8:00 PM  ET, Friday, January 13, 2017
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Memphis), ROOT (Houston)
PREDICTION: Rockets 115, Grizzlies 108

HOUSTON — The Rockets recorded a pair of unappealing firsts on Wednesday night in Minnesota, and when they host the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night at Toyota Center, they’ll look to avoid another.

With their loss to the Timberwolves, the Rockets (31-10) fell on the second night of a back-to-back for the first time in 10 occurrences. Additionally, the Timberwolves were the first team with a losing record to defeat the shorthanded Rockets this season. The setback also set the table for Houston to drop consecutive games for the first time. The Grizzlies beat the Rockets 115-109 on Dec. 23 in Memphis.

“With a couple players down and playing big minutes these other guys on a back-to-back, the schedule has been pretty tough and it’s getting tougher,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We just ran into one of those nights where we didn’t have it. We didn’t have it.”

The Rockets had their nine-game winning streak snapped. They won 10 consecutive games to open December, the 10th victory coming in overtime at Minnesota on the second game of a back-to-back.

“The good thing about ending a streak is we can start another one,” D’Antoni said.

Houston played without reserve guard Eric Gordon and starting center Clint Capela. Gordon missed his second consecutive game with a sprained left big toe and is questionable against Memphis; Capela has missed 13 games with a small fibula fracture in his left leg and is scheduled to return later this month.

Even in the face of injury the Rockets can hang their hat on consistency, having posted a 20-3 record since Dec. 1. Things haven’t been so rosy for the Grizzlies (24-17), whose last winning streak of longer than two games came in early December when they won six consecutive games to open that month.

In that span Memphis has lost to the Kings, the Magic and Lakers while beating the Cavaliers and Warriors. The Grizzlies are the only team to defeat the Warriors twice this season, but they also followed up a 34-point home win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 29 with a 103-95 loss in Oklahoma City on Wednesday night. Under first-year coach David Fizdale the Grizzlies toyed with the idea of a hastened pace and leaving behind their ‘Grit & Grind’ persona. Injuries scuttled those plans and Memphis currently ranks 28th in the NBA in pace and 25th in points per game with 99.2.

Establishing both a consistent level of play and a feasibly acceptable new identity has been surprisingly difficult. Uncovering solutions to those specific problems will require additional labor for the Grizzlies.

“Obviously when you play the game you see things one way, but when you look at film and try to see when you try to execute plays and when you try to run stuff, on film you can see why it’s not happening,” Grizzlies center Marc Gasol said. “All you can do is look at yourself and see what you can try to do better to help the team.”

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Houston Rockets vs Minnesota Timberwolves
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ROOT (Houston), FSN North (Minnesota)
PREDICTION: Rockets 121, Timberwolves 111

MINNEAPOLIS — In a season full of second-half collapses, perhaps not one sticks out more for the Minnesota Timberwolves than the 111-109 overtime home loss to the Houston Rockets in December.

Minnesota, which has 12 losses this season when leading by double-digits, led by 12 points with 2:19 left in the game. Then, Houston forwards Ryan Anderson and Trevor Ariza each hit two 3-pointers as the Rockets closed regulation on a 14-2 run.

James Harden scored 10 of his 28 points in overtime and Houston stayed near the top of the Western Conference while burying the Timberwolves further down the standings.

The two teams meet again in Minnesota on Wednesday.

The Rockets (31-9) are still riding high after beating the Charlotte Hornets 121-114 on Tuesday night in Houston. Harden scored 40 points with 15 rebounds and 10 assists to become just the third player since the 1985-86 season to record back-to-back games with a triple-double and 40 points, according to STATS, LLC.

“Most important thing is winning and it’s been a total turnaround from last year to this year,” Harden said after Tuesday’s game. “Winning and good things will come, individual stats.”

The Timberwolves (12-26) are still trying to find their way and keep from slipping in the second half of games. Minnesota saw a 21-point lead vanish at home against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday but never relinquished the lead and won 101-92 to snap a four-game losing streak.

The December game is still fresh in the minds of the Timberwolves.

“I mean, I’ve learned from that game,” Minnesota center Karl-Anthony Towns told the team’s website on Tuesday. “We’ve all learned. Just going to go there, go into tomorrow with a certain energy, a certain passion, a certain excitement and we have to go out there and execute. And again, everything goes back to our discipline. If we’re disciplined for four straight quarters, not many teams in this league can beat us.”

The Timberwolves seemingly had one of the top teams in the West on the ropes, before Houston finished strong.

The Rockets, as they did in December, head to Minnesota with a nine-game winning streak.

“I definitely didn’t know we’d be here,” Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said after Tuesday’s win. “The first 20 games, we thought we could be 11-9 and we’d be happy. So, we’re plus 19 on that one. I just like the way we’re playing. I like their energy and I think the defense is getting better.”

D’Antoni said guard Eric Gordon, who scored 20 points with six rebounds and four assists in the previous meeting, won’t travel with the team to Minnesota. Gordon is dealing with a toe injury.

The Timberwolves could also be without one of their top scorers in guard Zach LaVine.

LaVine left Monday’s game with a hip contusion and is listed as questionable. LaVine scored 24 points in the previous matchup with the Rockets and is 31st in the league in scoring at 20.4 points per game.

“It was a weird play that he got bumped on,” coach Tom Thibodeau told the team’s website after Tuesday’s practice. “But he’ll be OK.”

Tyus Jones entered Monday when LaVine left the game and scored seven points in 11 minutes. The little-used, second-year guard could see more playing time if LaVine is out.

“You’ve got to take advantage of your opportunity,” Jones said after Monday’s game. “It’s next guy up. Zach went down and there can’t be a fall off. If Coach calls, you’ve got to be ready to go in and pick up where Zach left off. Just trying to make sure I can do anything to help the team pull out a ‘W’ tonight.”

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”One hundred percent,” Harden said after finishing with 40 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in the Rockets’ 129-122 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night.

”We’re almost halfway through the season and we’re a fairly new team still and I’ll get better and my turnovers will start dropping just when I get familiar with what different defenses are doing but until then, we’re rolling, guys are happy and we’re making shots.”

Harden also had 10 of Houston’s 15 turnovers.

”I’ve got the ball in my hands 90 per cent of the time so it’s going to happen,” he said, adding that as long as the team stays under coach Mike D’Antoni’s limit of 15 turnovers it will be OK.

According to Elias Sports Bureau, Harden is the first player with a 40-point triple-double and 10 or more turnovers since turnovers became official in the 1977-78 season.

Harden shot 13 of 26 from the field, finishing with 30-plus points and 10-plus assists for a league-leading 13th time this season. Montrezl Harrell had 28 points in 26 minutes off the bench on 12-of-13 shooting, with Eric Gordon adding 19 more as Houston won consecutive games in Toronto for the first time in franchise history.

Down 99-95 entering the fourth quarter, the Rockets went on a 15-0 run to take an 11-point lead. DeRozan’s run of 12 consecutive points for the Raptors cut into that advantage, but Toronto could get no closer than five points.

Going on that kind of run is nothing new for the Rockets, who feed off each other, according to Trevor Ariza, who had 17 points.

”Once one shot goes in for someone, another one goes in, it brings up the team’s morale and everybody’s getting open looks, everybody’s knocking down shots, it’s fun to play that way,” he said.

After compiling a 19-0 record when taking a lead into the fourth quarter this season, the Raptors have lost two straight in the last 12 minutes. They ultimately lost in overtime in Chicago on Saturday night, and followed that up with Sunday’s loss, a game where they had a 13-point lead at one stage.

”It just sucks in the moment, especially two night sin a row,” DeMar DeRozan said. ”It happened and you just have to lock in.”

DeRozan had 36 points for the Raptors, setting a career high with his 18th 30-plus-point game of the season. DeMarre Carroll tied a career high with 26 points and set a career high with six 3-pointers on 10 attempts.

The late run by Houston to take the game away from Toronto was particularly galling for coach Dwane Casey, who constantly stresses the importance of a consistent approach to defense throughout the entire game.

”They put their heads down, attacked our feet,” he said. ”There was a stretch where we played good basketball for 39 minutes but it is a 48-minute game and we have to extend that.”

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Houston Rockets vs. Orlando Magic
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, January 6, 2017
Where: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida

TV: 7 p.m. ROOT (Houston), FSN Florida (Orlando)
PREDICTION: Magic 113, Rockets 110

James Harden is the engine of the NBA’s most exciting offense.

The Houston Rockets entered Thursday night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder as the third-ranked offense in the league, scoring 112.3 points per 100 possessions. Switching to raw statistics and the numbers look even more eye-popping – their 114.6 points per game is second in the league.

And Harden is a big part of that. In many ways, he is all of that.

Harden entered Thursday averaging 28.4 points per game with 8.2 rebounds per game and a league-best 11.9 assists per game. He posts a 33.7 percent usage rate – essentially meaning one-third of every Rockets possession ends with Harden taking a shot or turning it over.

Russell Westbrook is not the only one who is racking up triple-doubles. Harden’s 23-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist game against the Washington Wizards marked his third straight triple-double.

The streak was just broken in Houston’s 116-114 win over Oklahoma City on Thursday night. Harden posted 26 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists, dishing out a free throw assist to Nene for the game-winning points.

That does not count to his assist total. But Harden is where the Rockets go first, second and third, trusting him to make the right play.

His statistical outbursts do not feel any different, it would seem, because coach Mike D’Antoni’s offense seems to be the perfect fit for Harden’s skills.

“I’ve never seen it done before,” Harden told the Houston Chronicle. “It felt no different. Obviously, I made shots. Just getting guys involved, guys made shots. And I still thought we could have played better.

“We had a couple opportunities we missed open 3s, missed layups, a dunk I never really miss. Overall, it felt like a normal game, other than I made more shots.”

Harden has nine triple-doubles this season, behind only Westbrook. He still has the ability to get to the line at will and score points in huge bunches. Now he has added the passing to go with that.

Triple-doubles are not easy to do. The league saw just 75 triple-doubles last year. The league has seen 42 this year nearing the midway point. Twenty-five of them are by Harden and Westbrook.

This is in the NBA. So seeing eye-popping numbers like this is both surprising and not surprising. These are the best players in the world, after all. With the way teams in the league play today with 3-point shooting and up-tempo offenses, it is not surprising in a way to see such gifted playmakers dominating box scores.

“The way the game is being played now with more shots, it gives guys a lot of opportunity to get rebounds and a lot of opportunity to get rebounds,” Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton said. “I’m not blown away because of the style of play that is being played in the league right now. It’s definitely tough, but there are a lot more opportunities out there with the game being played faster, with more shots and teams playing faster.”

But triple-doubles are hard to come by. Elfrid Payton has three triple-doubles to his name, including back-to-back triple doubles in his rookie year in 2015. No player has averaged a triple-double in a season since Oscar Robertson in 1962. To see two players flirting with it is nothing short of historic.

That will be part of the challenge the Magic’s struggling defense will take on when Harden and the Rockets come to town Fon riday night.

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Brooklyn Nets vs. Houston Rockets
When: 7:30 PM ET, Monday, December 12, 2016
Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBATV, CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington), FSN Sun (Miami)
PREDICTION: Wizards 116, Heat 103

Oddsmakers currently have the Rockets listed as 14-point favorites versus the Nets, while the game’s total is sitting at 229.

HOUSTON — It marked another blistering start in a young season full of them for the Rockets, a burst from the starting gate that both propelled Houston to victory and put its opponent in a hole that proved impossible to escape from.

The Rockets attempted to blitz another foe when they host the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.

Even on the second night of a back-to-back the Rockets (17-7) found the energy to muster a 36-point first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night, a surge strong enough to carry them through lulls in the second and third periods en route to a 109-87 home victory.

Houston has made a habit of fast starts and paces the NBA in first-quarter scoring at 31.5 points per game, nearly a full point ahead of the Cavaliers who rank second averaging 30.8 points in the first quarter this season.

“We played well in the first quarter,” said Rockets reserve guard Eric Gordon, who tallied six points in six minutes off the bench in the opening period. “I think teams are trying to figure us out. We score a lot in the first quarter.

“With James (Harden) being the point guard, it’s always going to be trouble for the other team.”

Harden played the entire first quarter against Dallas and posted 13 points (on 3-of-4 shooting) and seven assists to lead the Rockets on their opening kick. In nine home games this season Harden is averaging 11.4 points (on 67.4 percent shooting) and 3.7 assists in the first period.

Setting such a blistering early pace has enabled the Rockets to weather all variations of opposing storms, and that consistent first-quarter production is behind their fast start out of the gate.

“Yeah, we’re starting to find (balance). We’re getting better but we’re still not where we want to be,” Harden said. “Especially in the first quarter. We want to get off to a really good start.”

The Nets (6-16) dropped to 1-9 on the road with their 130-101 loss in San Antonio on Saturday night. They continue to trudge on without guard Jeremy Lin, who has been sidelined for 17 games with a left hamstring strain. The Nets have missed 50 games due to injury this season.

Lin was off to a solid start in Brooklyn, averaging 15.0 points and 6.2 assists over five games before being sidelined. He returned to practice late last week but the Nets have not set a date for his return, choosing instead to follow a cautious path.

“I wanted to come back as early as I can obviously but we’re taking a healthier approach in terms of making sure that this won’t bother me again,” Lin said. “Sometimes that takes a little bit longer.

“I really appreciate this staff and what they’ve done to try to help me in terms of everything.”

While showcasing patience, Brooklyn also needs the reinforcements. The Nets have dropped 11 of 13 and are struggling mightily to pair their hastened style of play with any semblance of defensive functionality. Brooklyn leads the NBA in pace at 101.6 possessions per 48 minutes and ranks 29th in defensive rating at 112.1 points allowed per 100 possessions.

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Boston Celtics vs Houston Rockets
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, December 5, 2016
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBATV, CSN New England (Boston), ROOT (Houston)
PREDICTION: Rockets 117, Celtics 110

Behind another outstanding performance by Isaiah Thomas (12 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter), the Celtics squeaked past the Philadelphia 76ers 107-106 to begin the road trip Saturday night. Like Boston, the Rockets have won two straight after finishing their 4-1 road trip with a 128-110 win at Denver on Friday. Seven players scored in double figures and Houston was 17-of-37 from 3-point range, hitting their league-leading average in long-range attempts and bumping their percentage to 37.8, good for fifth in the NBA through Saturday. The Celtics ranked fifth in 3-point tries (30.8) and 10th in percentage (36) entering Sunday.

ABOUT THE CELTICS (12-8): Avery Bradley supported Thomas’ effort with 20 points of his own and he hauled in nine rebounds for the second straight game to bump his season average to 7.9, five more than his career mark. Jonas Jerebko was second on the team with six boards against the 76ers and he also hit one of his two 3-point attempts to give him a remarkable 9-of-11 showing over the last eight games. Thomas averaged 26.5 points while shooting 57.6 percent (56.3 from behind the arc) in a two-game split with Houston last season.

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (13-7): Houston’s win in Denver was all the more impressive due to the fact that it had to go to double overtime to win the night before in Golden State, and was further proof that the team has turned a corner from the dysfunction of a season ago. “A lot of positives,” coach Mike D’Antoni told reporters. “They found the energy to go ahead and finish up the game. It wasn’t always pretty. It’s a special group that can conjure that kind of energy in altitude after getting in at 5 o’clock in the morning.” It helps when there are so many shooters to call on, and Houston has made at least 10 3-pointers in an NBA-record 19 straight games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Rockets F Trevor Ariza (back) left Friday’s game in Denver and is considered day-to-day.

2. Celtics C Al Horford has averaged 16.7 points in seven wins and 10.7 in three losses.

3. Rockets G James Harden has eight straight games of at least 20 points but is shooting just 35.5 percent from the field – including 5-of-22 on 3-pointers – in the last three contests.

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OAKLAND, Calif. — Get out your erasers, NBA historians. The Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors could be shooting for a record when they meet for the first time this season Thursday night.

The Rockets will put their streak of having made at least 10 3-pointers in 17 straight games on the line against a team that owned the NBA perimeter last year.

Houston’s James Harden (55), Eric Gordon (55) and Trevor Ariza (52) all rank among the Top 10 this season in 3-pointers made, and Ryan Anderson (45) isn’t far outside the group, lifting the Rockets (13.8 per game) into a tie with Cleveland for the team lead.

Both are attempting to unseat the Warriors as the reigning 3-point kings. Golden State (13.1) easily outdistanced the field in 3-point success last year.

Along the way, the Warriors (21) combined with the Dallas Mavericks (18) to set an NBA record for most 3-pointers made in a game (39) on March 25, 2016.

The Warriors and Rockets get their first crack at bettering that mark this season on Thursday night.

Houston has moved ahead of Golden State in the category this season by shooting more often from 3-point distance and doing it with greater accuracy.

In their first season under coach Mike D’Antoni, the Rockets have increased their 3-point attempts from 30.9 per game to 36.6, and their percentage of success from 34.7 to 37.8.

Other than embracing the up-tempo style of D’Antoni, three big reasons for the Rockets’ uptick in 3’s are Gordon, who is shooting more often from downtown (7.9 attempts per game, up from 6.5), Ariza, who has connected on a career-best 39.7 percent so far this season, and Anderson, a 42.2 percent career 3-point shooter who was signed to a four-year, $80 million deal in July.

“Obviously, we built this team to put shooters around James,” Anderson said recently of Harden, who leads the NBA with 11.9 assists per game. “They’re all good shots.”

Alas, while the Rockets have scored big from beyond the arc this season, they’ve also given up 3’s in bundles. Opponents are averaging 9.9 made 3’s on 38.2-percent accuracy, figures that are seventh- and second-highest in the league.

The Warriors, by their own high standards, have opened the season a bit cold from beyond the arc. They have attempted the same number as last season (31.6 per game), but their percentage of success has fallen from a league-best 41.6 to 38.4.

Guard Klay Thompson is the biggest reason for the decline, and at same time, a big reason to believe Golden State can once again overtake the Rockets (and Cavaliers) in the category.

A career 41.7-percent shooter on 3’s, Thompson has made only 36.5 percent this season.

That number is a bit misleading, however. He began the season 11-for-53 (20.8 percent) through seven games, but has since made 39 of 84 (46.4 percent) in his last 11 outings.

The Warriors (16-2) have won each of those last 11 games, and will take a 12-game winning streak, third longest in franchise history, into Thursday’s game.

One key for the Warriors: They lead the league in overall shooting percentage (50.2) while keeping up the third-fastest pace of play (100.5 possessions per 48 minutes).

“We want to play fast. We want as many possessions as possible,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters earlier this week. “If we can play a high-possession game, play with pace and be at 2/1 (assists/turnovers ratio), I’m really comfortable with that.”

The Rockets (11-7) are coming off a 120-101 loss at Utah on Tuesday night, their third stop on a five-game trip.

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Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ROOT (Houston), FSN Oklahoma
PREDICTION: Rockets 122, Thunder 118

Oddsmakers currently have the Thunder listed as 2½-point favorites versus the Rockets, while the game’s total is sitting at 219.

OKLAHOMA CITY — After starting the season with a 6-1 record, the Oklahoma City Thunder were being looked at as the surprise team in the NBA. A week later, the Thunder are in a tailspin, riding a four-game losing streak.

That is the situation that awaits the Thunder (6-5) when they play host to the Houston Rockets (6-4) on Wednesday night at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

The latest loss came Monday night when Thunder traveled to Detroit on the second night of a back-to-back. Near the end of the first quarter and the start of the second, Oklahoma City allowed the Pistons to go on a 23-6 run. It was an uphill battle from that point on, and Detroit emerged with a 104-88 victory.

“Defensively we started with really good energy,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “In fairness to our guys, you can always expect on a back-to-back that you’re going to be a bit leg weary. Generally that’s going to affect your offense. Sometimes on back-to-backs you can’t put stock or onus on having a great offensive output, but you have to hang your hat on your defense.”

Oklahoma City’s defense is getting precipitately worse, but it hasn’t just been against teams such as the Golden State Warriors or Los Angeles Clippers.

The Thunder’s last two defeats came at the hands of the Orlando Magic and Detroit, clubs that rank in the bottom seven in the NBA in scoring. Each team managed to score over a 100 against the Thunder.

Oklahoma City Stats:
Team record: 6-5 SU,5-6 ATS
Current Streak: lost 4 straight games.
Oklahoma City is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Oklahoma City’s last 13 games
Oklahoma City is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home

“We’re one of the top teams in the league when we play defensively,” Thunder guard Russell Westbrook told The Oklahoman. “So I’m not really worried about who’s playing and who’s not.”

Having issues with defense, however, is not a good problem to have with the Rockets in town. Houston is 10th in the league in scoring at 107.8 points per game and fifth in 3-point shooting at 37 percent.

Houston has not had a problem putting up points this season. The Rockets are coming off a 115-88 plastering of the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.

“I thought they came out with the right intensity, they came out the way they should have,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We talked about it and came out in the second half the way we should have. That way we got some good rest. I saw a lot of good things.”

The Rockets might get even stronger Wednesday with the possible return of guard Patrick Beverley, who has been out since the preseason after undergoing left knee surgery.

Beverley and the Thunder have a history that goes back to when he crashed into Westbrook’s knee during the 2013 postseason. Westbrook ended up with a torn meniscus that cost him the rest of the postseason. Thunder fans catapulted Beverley to the top of their most hated list, which he has held onto since then.

Against the 76ers, Rockets guard James Harden posted 33 points, seven rebounds and nine assists. He is now one of only three players in history to average at least 30 points and 10 assists through 10 games. Harden was also named Western Conference Player of the Week.

Houston Stats:
Team record: 6-4 SU,6-4 ATS
Houston is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
Houston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston’s last 6 games

However, Harden seems to be more focused on making sure his team plays the right way.

“We’re getting better game by game, and defensively we’re getting better and offensively has been better, too,” Harden told ESPN.com. “We take it one game at a time. These next three games will be extremely tough; we’ll be all right as long as we continue to do the things we’ve been working on.”

Asked his assessment of the Thunder in the wake of Kevin Durant exit in free agency, Harden said, “It’s Russ. It’s Russ, and it’s a one-man show.”

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Houston At Golden State
When: 9:00 PM ET, Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN
PREDICTION: Warriors 115, Rockets 108
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Oddsmakers currently have the Warriors listed as 10½-point favorites versus the Rockets, while the game’s total is sitting at 215½.

In their last action, Golden State was a 128-115 loser on the road against the Rockets. They failed to cover the -4.5-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (243) was profitable news for OVER bettors.

Harden made seven 3-pointers in a scoring effort that tied for third-most in Houston playoff history with legendary Hakeem Olajuwon having performances of 49, 46 and 45 points. He scored 33 points in the second half as the Rockets rediscovered an offense that tallied just 80 points in a demoralizing Game 3 loss. “We got after them and we’ve got to get after them again,” McHale told reporters. “We’ve got to attack them, we’ve got to play our style of basketball. If the ball moves from player to player, the more willingly and the more rapidly and harder and quicker, it’s harder to guard.”

Team record: 65-33 SU,58-40 ATS
Houston is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Houston’s last 22 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston’s last 5 games
Houston is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road

Golden State coach Steve Kerr defended club trainers and doctors who cleared Curry to return to action and made it clear the league MVP was also insisting that he was fine. “As long as Steph says he’s good to go and the doctors told me he’s cleared, then I’m going to listen to that,” Kerr said in Tuesday’s press conference. “They’re the ones who are paid to do that, not me.” Curry scored 23 points despite playing just 31 minutes while slumping shooting guard Klay Thompson showed life by making six 3-pointers and scoring a personal series-best 24 points.

Team record: 78-18 SU,53-42-1 ATS
Golden State is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Golden State’s last 11 games
Golden State is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games at home
Golden State is 24-1 SU in its last 25 games at home

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