Golden State Warriors (31-30, eighth in the Western Conference) vs. Houston Rockets (38-22, third in the Western Conference)
Houston; Thursday, 7:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The Houston Rockets host the Golden State Warriors in Western Conference play Thursday.
The Rockets are 21-16 against conference opponents. Houston leads the Western Conference in rebounding, averaging 48.4 boards. Alperen Sengun paces the Rockets with 9.2 rebounds.
The Warriors are 21-19 against Western Conference opponents. Golden State is 14-20 against opponents over .500.
The Rockets are shooting 47.5% from the field this season, 0.2 percentage points higher than the 47.3% the Warriors allow to opponents. The Warriors average 16.3 made 3-pointers per game this season, 4.1 more made shots on average than the 12.2 per game the Rockets give up.
The teams play for the second time this season. The Rockets won the last matchup 104-100 on Nov. 27, with Reed Sheppard scoring 31 points in the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Sengun is shooting 50.1% and averaging 20.5 points for the Rockets. Kevin Durant is averaging 27.3 points over the last 10 games.
Brandin Podziemski is averaging 12.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Warriors. Moses Moody is averaging 3.1 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Rockets: 7-3, averaging 112.1 points, 45.7 rebounds, 24.6 assists, 8.1 steals and 6.5 blocks per game while shooting 49.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 105.8 points per game.
Warriors: 4-6, averaging 110.9 points, 43.3 rebounds, 30.9 assists, 9.7 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 45.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.7 points.
INJURIES: Rockets: Jae’Sean Tate: out (knee), Fred VanVleet: out for season (acl), Jabari Smith Jr.: out (ankle), Steven Adams: out for season (ankle).
Warriors: Kristaps Porzingis: day to day (illness), Jimmy Butler III: out for season (knee), Stephen Curry: out (knee), Seth Curry: out (back), Will Richard: day to day (ankle).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
By The Associated Press
