Betting news, trends, odds and predictions from various handicappers and websites for Thursday 1/3/19
This is Kawhi Leonard’s return to San Antonio. Toronto won five of last seven games, is 2-7 vs spread in last nine- they’re 0-5 vs spread in last five road games. Over is 4-3 in their last seven road games. San Antonio won 10 of its last 13 games; they’re 9-1 vs spread in last ten home games. Over is 5-2 in their last seven games. Spurs won four of last five series games; Raptors are 1-4 vs spread in last five visits to the Alamo. Three of last four series games stayed under.
Nuggets won last three games, but are 0-5 vs spread in last five; they’re 0-5 vs spread in last five road games. Five of their last six games went over. Sacramento is 3-5 in its last eight games, 5-3 vs spread in last eight home games. Over is 8-2-1 in their last 11 games. Denver won/covered six of last seven games with the Kings; they’re 2-2 vs spread in last four trips to Sacramento. Three of last four series games went over.
Houston won 10 of its last 11 games; they’re 3-7 vs spread in last ten road games. Four of their last six games stayed under. Golden State won six of its last nine games; they’re 2-12 vs spread in last 14 home games. Three of their last four games stayed under. Rockets/Warriors split their last ten games; Houston is 1-2 vs spread in last three visits to Bay Area. Eight of last nine series games stayed under.
By Kevin Rogers
Game of the Night: Thunder at Lakers – 10:35 PM EST
For the first time this season, Oklahoma City and Los Angeles are hooking up. Even though LeBron James is still sidelined due to a groin strain, the Lakers (21-16 SU, 16-20-1 ATS) remain in the top eight of the Western Conference. The Lakers lost their first two games with James sidelined, but rebounded on Sunday night by rallying past the Kings, 121-114 as 1 ½-point favorites. Los Angeles outscored Sacramento, 29-18 in the fourth quarter, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope pumped in 26 points off the bench for the Lakers.
The Thunder (23-13 SU, 20-16 ATS) rebounded from a two-point setback to the Mavericks on Sunday as OKC routed Dallas on the second end of a back-to-back on Monday, 122-102 as seven-point favorites. OKC jumped out to a 17-point halftime advantage, led by Russell Westbrook’s 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists on 13-of-24 shooting. Westbrook rebounded from a 4-of-22 shooting effort in Sunday’s loss to produce his 10th triple-double of the season, while the Thunder improved to 13-4 at home.
Last season, the Lakers and Thunder split four matchups, but one win by Los Angeles came with Westbrook out of the lineup for Oklahoma City. The Lakers have dropped four consecutive games off a victory, while cashing the UNDER in nine of the past 11 games at Staples Center. The Thunder have struggled to cover numbers as a road favorite of late by compiling a 2-6 ATS mark as chalk in their last eight games away from Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Over Easy
The two teams that own the longest OVER streaks in the league meet up in Boston. The Timberwolves (17-20 SU, 19-18 ATS) have cashed the OVER in eight consecutive games, while the Celtics (21-15 SU, 18-18 ATS) are riding a six-game OVER streak. Boston won at Minnesota on December 1 as two-point underdogs, 118-109, while the contest easily drilled the OVER of 216 ½ thanks to a 66-point fourth quarter.
Minnesota has been one of the weaker road teams in the league at 5-14, but were riding a three-game away hot streak prior to Monday’s 123-114 setback at New Orleans. Granted, the Wolves were playing on a back-to-back following Sunday’s victory at Miami, but Minnesota allowed New Orleans to shoot 52% from the floor without Anthony Davis in the lineup, while the Pelicans drilled 14 three-pointers.
Boston wrapped up a three-game road trip by falling at San Antonio on Monday, 120-111 to finish 1-2 SU/ATS. The Celtics led the Spurs by six points at halftime, but San Antonio outscored Boston, 46-30 in the third quarter to drop their seventh consecutive visit to AT&T Center. Boston has won and covered six of its past seven games in the home favorite role, while posting a 5-0 SU/ATS record in its previous five matchups with Minnesota.
Highway to Hive
The Mavericks (17-19 SU, 22-14 ATS) continue their four-game road trip tonight in Charlotte as Dallas tries to repair a broken 2-16 record away from American Airlines Center. The latest setback came in Monday’s 20-point defeat at Oklahoma City, as Dallas posted an 0-8 road record in December. The loss to the Thunder also snapped a five-game ATS hot streak, which included three highway covers in that stretch.
The Hornets (18-18 SU, 19-17 ATS) have also had road issues this season (4-11), but have thrived at Spectrum Center by posting a 14-7 home ledger. Charlotte is fresh of a 125-100 blowout of Orlando on Monday, the fourth consecutive home win for the Hornets, all coming by double-digits. The Hornets have lost three of their past four home matchups with the Mavericks since 2014, as Dallas owns a perfect 4-0 ATS mark in its last four trips to North Carolina.
End of the Road
It’s been a rough trip for Detroit as the Pistons (16-19 SU, 16-18-1 ATS) are coming off three consecutive losses to the Pacers, Magic, and Bucks. The latest setback came in Tuesday’s 121-98 blowout defeat at Milwaukee as 10-point underdogs, marking the third loss to the Central division leaders this season. Since shocking Toronto at the buzzer in mid-November, the Pistons have compiled a dreadful 1-8 SU and 3-6 ATS mark in the last nine contests away from Little Caesars Arena.
The final stop on this away swing takes place in Memphis to face the struggling Grizzlies (18-18 SU, 17-19 ATS). Memphis has dropped seven of its past nine games, including Monday’s 113-101 defeat at Houston after falling behind by 23 points at halftime. The Grizzlies own a miserable 2-10 ATS record in the last 12 games, including a 1-5 ATS mark in this stretch at FedEx Forum.
Staring in a Mirror
Both the Pelicans and Nets own identical records heading into their first contest of 2019 as the two teams hook up at Barclays Center. New Orleans (17-21 SU, 16-22 ATS) picked up only its third win in the last nine games in Monday’s 123-114 triumph over Minnesota to cash as 5 ½-point favorites. The Pelicans won in spite of Anthony Davis not suiting up, but the All-Star is expected to play tonight in Brooklyn as New Orleans goes for the season sweep after defeating the Nets at home in late October.
The Nets (17-21 SU, 19-19 ATS) posted an impressive eight-game ATS hot streak in December, but Brooklyn limped towards the end of 2018 by covering once in its final five games. The latest two losses came on the highway in double-digit defeats at Charlotte and Milwaukee to suffer back-to-back setbacks for the first time since early December. The Nets have had their issues against Western Conference foes at home this season by losing seven of nine times, while dropping a double-overtime thriller to the Pelicans at Barclays Center last season.
Inside the Paint - Thursday
Chris David
Game of the Night (TNT, 10:35 p.m. ET)
Houston (21-15 SU, 18-17-1 ATS) at Golden State (25-13 SU, 16-22 ATS)
All eyes will be on Oracle Arena this Thursday as the Rockets will meet the Warriors in the Bay Area for the first time this season. Bookmaker.eu opened Golden State as a healthy eight-point favorite and some bettors could be scratching their heads based on the current form of both teams.
Houston has quietly won five straight and 10 of its last 11 games. More importantly, the club has gone 9-1-1 against the spread during this run and the last five victories came without the services of point guard Chris Paul, who is still nursing a hamstring injury. While the Rockets have been hot, the Warriors are near the bottom of the league for bettors (16-22 ATS) this season and they’ve gone 8-12 ATS at home despite owning one of the best straight up home records (15-5).
The Warriors have won and covered their last two games, both decisions came by double digits and they were on the road. At home, Golden State has dropped its last two games from Oracle and its just 2-8 ATS in the last 10 contests from Oakland. Make a note that head coach Steve Kerr and company haven’t put together three straight wins since it ripped off four victories in a row in early December.
NBA handicapper Tony Mejia weighed in on the marquee matchup for Thursday.
He said, “Over James Harden’s last 10 games, he’s averaging 40.8 points per game and is the first player who has scored 30 or more in 10 consecutive contests since 2014. He’s averaged 8.9 assists in putting the Rockets on his back for wins in 10 of 11 and knows exactly what he’ll be facing here with Klay Thompson as a primary defender who will help try and steer him into other defenders. He shot just 8-for-23 in the only meeting against Golden State thus far, which included a 4-for-14 showing from 3-point range. Houston took advantage of Steph Curry’s absence and rolled 107-86, pulling away in the second half, but Chris Paul, Eric Gordon and James Ennis III all participated. It remains to be seen whether Mike D’Antoni will have any of the three available since Gordon and Ennis are close to a return. If the Rockets remain depleted, it will be easier for the Warriors to make Harden a distributor.”
There’s definitely a valid reason to stay away from the Rockets tonight and its directly attributed to its road mark. Houston has struggled away from the Toyota Center (10-8 SU, 8-10 ATS) this season and it’s just 3-7 in last 10 as a visitor.
Still, Harden has been on fire and nobody can dismiss Houston’s league-best record against winning teams (14-5) this season and eight of its last 10 came against clubs with .500 or better records.
Last season, Houston won two games at Oracle as a live underdog. It stunned the Warriors 122-121 on opening night with a late rally and it also captured Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals with a 95-92 win. The ‘under’ connected easily in that postseason game and the low side is on a 7-1 run in this series, which includes a 6-1 result in last year’s conference finals.
Toronto (28-11 SU, 16-22-1 ATS) at San Antonio (21-17 SU, 22-15 ATS)
The first game of the TNT double-header on Thursday also offers a lot of intrigue as Raptors small forward Kawhi Leonard will make his first trip back to San Antonio. Mejia offered up his thoughts on the possible drama from the AT&T Center. “Kawhi Leonard shot 17 free-throws in scoring a career-high 45 points in Toronto’s 122-116 over Utah on Tuesday, attacking the paint relentlessly despite the presence of elite defensive center Rudy Gobert,” said Mejia.
“He’s really been aggressive over the past few games and looks all the way back after missing most of last season, so Spurs fans will be able to boo an effort that helped carry them to another title in ’14. The manner in which he forced his way out of San Antonio ensures he isn’t going to get a fond welcome in his return, but you can expect him to handle the scorn like any other basketball-playing robot would. The Raptors have lost four of the last five road games that Leonard has participated in, but he’s averaged 28 points and 7.4 rebounds in those contests.”
San Antonio opened as a 1 ½-point home favorite for the matchup and it should receive plenty of support perhaps more for new Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan, who was traded from Toronto for Leonard in the blockbuster deal last summer. The former USC standout has posted similar numbers in his first season with San Antonio but he still can’t buy a shot from 3-point land (17.5%) and surprisingly the Spurs lead the league from shooting percentage from distance (39.7%).
Support at home hasn’t been an issue recently for the Spurs, who have won and covered nine of their last 10 home games. The offense (118.1 PPG) and defense (101.4 PPG) have both been amazing during this stretch and two of their recent victories came against another pair of Eastern Conference contenders in the Celtics (120-111) and 76ers (123-96). Will the trend continue?
As Mejia noted, the Raptors have been in a funk on the road (1-4 SU, 0-5 ATS) and their only win was a two-point decision at Miami. Even though the club won’t have point guard Kyle Lowry (back) available, the confidence should still be high knowing they’ve gone 11-4 versus the West this season and that includes an impressive 7-2 mark on the road. The Spurs have gone 5-5 versus the East. At home versus the East, with the two aforementioned wins coming versus Boston and Philadelphia.
The home team has won the past three games in this series but all of the games were decided by four points or less.
Denver (24-11 SU, 19-16 ATS) at Sacramento (19-18 SU, 21-15-1 ATS)
The other game on tap for Thursday takes place from the Golden 1 Center in Northern California as Sacramento (+2 ½) will look to cool off Denver as a home underdog. The Nuggets have won seven of their last nine games and they currently own the best winning percentage in the West. However, Denver has been mired in a funk at the betting counter, dropping its last five games versus the number.
It’s also lost its last two games on the road and its record as a visitor (9-8) is much different than playing at the Pepsi Center (15-3) and that’s been a common theme for this club. A better barometer for me is what team’s doing against winning clubs and Denver (12-8) has answered the bell this season. The same can’t be said for Sacramento, who is 7-14 against teams above .500 while going 12-4 versus losing clubs.
The Kings have been better at home (10-8 SU, 11-6-1 ATS) this season but it enters this game with a pedestrian 5-5 record over the last 10 and the last three wins came by a combined seven points.
The Nuggets have won and covered six of the past seven encounters between the pair, which includes a 126-112 over Sacramento on Oct. 23 as an 11 ½-point favorite. The ‘over’ connected (228 ½) in that game and the number for this matchup opened a tad lower (227 ½). The Kings own the best ‘over’ mark (25-12) in the NBA but their total numbers have been a stalemate (9-9) at home. Denver has leaned to the ‘under’ (20-14-1) and that includes a 10-6-1 record away from home.
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NBA
Long Sheet
Thursday, January 3
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TORONTO (28 - 11) at SAN ANTONIO (21 - 17) - 1/3/2019, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN ANTONIO is 1069-934 ATS (+41.6 Units) in all games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 846-719 ATS (+55.1 Units) as a favorite since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 14-6 ATS (+7.4 Units) in home games this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 16-4 ATS (+11.6 Units) in home games after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 353-291 ATS (+32.9 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 22-9 ATS (+12.1 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 23-12 ATS (+9.8 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
SAN ANTONIO is 4-0 against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 3-1 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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DENVER (24 - 11) at SACRAMENTO (19 - 18) - 1/3/2019, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DENVER is 6-16 ATS (-11.6 Units) in road games after scoring 115 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
DENVER is 6-3 against the spread versus SACRAMENTO over the last 3 seasons
DENVER is 6-3 straight up against SACRAMENTO over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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HOUSTON (21 - 15) at GOLDEN STATE (25 - 13) - 1/3/2019, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) after a division game this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 61-77 ATS (-23.7 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 33-48 ATS (-19.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 14-26 ATS (-14.6 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
GOLDEN STATE is 7-7 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 8-7 straight up against HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
11 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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NBA
Thursday, January 3
Trend Report
Toronto Raptors
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games
Toronto is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Toronto is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Toronto is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Toronto is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games on the road
Toronto is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Toronto is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing San Antonio
Toronto is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Antonio
Toronto is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against San Antonio
Toronto is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against San Antonio
San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games
San Antonio is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of San Antonio's last 12 games
San Antonio is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games at home
San Antonio is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of San Antonio's last 8 games at home
San Antonio is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Toronto
San Antonio is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Toronto
San Antonio is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Toronto
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto
Denver Nuggets
Denver is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games
Denver is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Denver's last 6 games
Denver is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Denver is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Denver's last 6 games on the road
Denver is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Sacramento
Denver is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Sacramento
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Denver's last 16 games when playing Sacramento
Denver is 9-4 ATS in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Sacramento
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Denver's last 12 games when playing on the road against Sacramento
Sacramento Kings
Sacramento is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Sacramento's last 11 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Sacramento's last 11 games at home
Sacramento is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Denver
Sacramento is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Denver
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Sacramento's last 16 games when playing Denver
Sacramento is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games when playing at home against Denver
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Sacramento's last 12 games when playing at home against Denver
Houston Rockets
Houston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Houston is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
Houston is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 6 games on the road
Houston is 8-16 SU in its last 24 games when playing Golden State
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 5 games when playing Golden State
Houston is 3-5-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Golden State
Houston is 3-13 SU in its last 16 games when playing on the road against Golden State
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games when playing on the road against Golden State
Golden State Warriors
Golden State is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games
Golden State is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Golden State's last 12 games
Golden State is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Golden State is 18-5 SU in its last 23 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Golden State's last 7 games at home
Golden State is 16-8 SU in its last 24 games when playing Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Golden State's last 5 games when playing Houston
Golden State is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Houston
Golden State is 13-3 SU in its last 16 games when playing at home against Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Golden State's last 5 games when playing at home against Houston
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Preview: Raptors at Spurs
Kawhi Leonard makes his highly anticipated return to San Antonio when the Toronto Raptors visit the Spurs on Thursday. Leonard was once a beloved figure and NBA Finals MVP for the Spurs but returns as a villain after last season's falling out with the franchise, following seven seasons and the subsequent trade to Toronto.
Leonard tuned up for his return to San Antonio by scoring a career-best 45 points in Tuesday's 122-116 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz. "Yeah, it's going to be fun," Leonard said in a postgame television interview when asked if he is looking forward to the contest. "Everybody is anticipating the game. Things like that will only get me better for the long run. It's going to be a good game." Leonard's former team is playing well with 10 victories in 13 games after Monday's impressive 120-111 win over the Boston Celtics. San Antonio standout shooting guard DeMar DeRozan had just 13 points on 6-of-18 against Boston but figures to be revved up after being dealt by the Raptors in the trade to acquire Leonard.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT, Sportsnet One, Sportsnet Ontario (Toronto)
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (28-11): Leonard played in just nine games for San Antonio last season due to a quadriceps injury and the difference in opinions over the treatment options partially resulted in the gulf that couldn't be resolved. He has been in standout form for Toronto of late with a career-best streak of 14 straight 20-point outings and he was 16-of-22 shooting in the stellar outing against Utah. "That's good we all got to witness that live and in person," Raptors coach Nick Nurse told reporters of Leonard's splurge. "He was phenomenal. I've kind of been waiting for one of these nights where he makes them all."
ABOUT THE SPURS (21-17): DeRozan was peeved and felt misled when he was shipped from Toronto to San Antonio after nine seasons in Canada and he insisted he would exact revenge on his former club whenever they next met. But his tune has calmed down after spending nearly half a season with the Spurs and he attempted to downplay the contest when asked about it earlier this week. "Honestly, I wish I had something cool to say to look for it, but I haven't thought about it at all," DeRozan told reporters. "I'm pretty sure once I get the questions about it, at some point I'm going to get to it but I haven't been thinking about it."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Spurs have won nine straight home games in the series with the Raptors last prevailing 83-73 on Dec. 28, 2007.
2. San Antonio SF Rudy Gay (wrist) is questionable after sitting out Monday's contest.
3. Toronto PG Kyle Lowry (back, quadriceps) is expected to sit out for the ninth time in 10 games.
PREDICTION: Raptors 112, Spurs 109
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Preview: Nuggets at Kings
The Denver Nuggets look to protect their slim lead in the Western Conference when they visit the Sacramento Kings on Thursday. Denver is looking for its eighth win in the past 10 contests as it holds a half-game lead over the Golden State Warriors in the West.
The Nuggets posted a 115-108 win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday and now enter a stretch in which three of their next four games are on the road. Standout center Nikola Jokic had 19 points, 15 assists and 14 rebounds against the Knicks for his third triple-double of the season and 19th of his career. Sacramento has blown fourth-quarter leads while losing its last two games, first against the Los Angeles Lakers and then in a 113-108 overtime setback against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday. "We just have to execute at the end of the game," point guard De'Aaron Fox told reporters after Tuesday's setback. "We had makeable shots and we just didn't make them."
TV: 10 p.m. ET, NBCS California (Sacramento), Altitude (Denver)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (24-11): Veteran power forward Paul Millsap had 16 points and nine rebounds against New York in his second contest since missing three weeks with a broken toe. “You can see, as the game went on, he was finding his rhythm,” Denver coach Michael Malone told reporters of Millsap. “He’s finding his comfort level, his confidence. He’ll make those free throws, moving forward. I was just happy to see his defense, his rebounding, his activity and just kind of getting that game under his belt in the altitude.” Backup shooting guard Malik Beasley scored a career-best 23 points while matching his career high of five 3-pointers versus the Knicks and is averaging 20.3 points over the past four games.
ABOUT THE KINGS (19-18): Sacramento trailed by 14 points at halftime before rallying to take a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter and later collapsing against Portland in the opener of a stretch in which seven of eight games are at home. Shooting guard Buddy Hield made five 3-pointers while scoring 27 points against the Trail Blazers in his first game of January after averaging 21.6 points and 3.9 3-pointers in December. Hield scored 20 or more points in 12 of the past 15 games and has made five or more 3-pointers on eight occasions during the stretch.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Eight players scored in double digits when the Nuggets posted a 126-112 home win over the Kings on Oct. 23.
2. Sacramento C Willie Cauley-Stein had just five points on 2-of-14 shooting in the loss to Portland.
3. Denver SG Gary Harris (hip) scored six points in 20 minutes against the Knicks after missing the previous 11 games.
PREDICTION: Kings 105, Nuggets 102
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Preview: Rockets at Warriors
Reigning MVP James Harden looks to add to his superb run when the streaking Houston Rockets visit the Golden State Warriors on Thursday. Harden has put together a franchise-record four straight 40-point outings and he's averaging 39.7 points and 8.5 assists during the club's current 10-1 stretch.
Harden has three triple-doubles over the past 10 games and that includes his performance of 43 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds in Monday's 113-101 home victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. "He's been doing it for 10-plus games now at that level," center Clint Capela told reporters of Harden after the team's fifth straight win. "Right now, he's playing at the best level in the league as a player. If he keeps going that way, obviously he's going to be the MVP." The Warriors own a modest two-game winning streak after recording their third-highest scoring output of the campaign in Monday's 132-109 road win over the Phoenix Suns. Point guard Stephen Curry scored 34 points and has tallied 30 or more in seven of the past 14 contests.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (21-15): Houston's shaky 11-14 start has been forgotten due to the stellar play of Harden, who has posted eight straight games of at least 35 points and five assists to break a record set by Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson (twice had seven-game runs). "That's what you play the game of basketball for, to be mentioned by name with the greats," Harden told reporters. "Obviously, I have a long way to go, but that's what I put my jersey on for, that's what I lace my shoes up for, to go out there and be the best that I can be and, when it's all said and done, be mentioned as one of the best basketball players to ever touch a basketball." Harden has made five or more 3-pointers in each of the last seven games, making 46-of-107 during the stretch.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (25-13): Golden State made 14 3-pointers against the Suns and had 108 points through three quarters in a performance that the players hope will carry over against the Rockets. "We haven’t been playing well," Curry told reporters. "We haven’t gotten to the point of putting together a high-octane 48 minutes. You have to play well to produce those type of results." Small forward Kevin Durant scored 25 points against Phoenix and has topped 20 in each of the last 11 games, averaging 27.2 points during the stretch.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Harden scored 27 points on 8-of-23 shooting in a 107-86 home win over the Warriors on Nov. 15.
2. Golden State SG Klay Thompson had scored 16 or fewer points in seven of the past eight games.
3. Capela had 19 points and 13 rebounds against the Grizzlies for his seventh double-double in the past 10 games.
PREDICTION: Warriors 124, Rockets 122
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