The Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors meet tonight in a game that sees two teams going in opposite directions. The Rockets were one of the most pleasant surprises in the Western Conference, finishing in second place with an impressive defensive prowess under head coach Ime Udoka. Their defensive rating of 106.5 ranks 2nd in the league, a nod to the combative nature of this young and experienced team. Houston has yet to lose consecutive games this season. After a comfortable win over first-place Oklahoma City last week, they stumbled against Sacramento on Monday. Tonight’s match appears to be an opportunity for the Rockets to recover.

On the other hand, the Warriors are going through one of their toughest stretches in recent memory. A five-game losing streak and terrible offensive woes – they haven’t been able to score more than 120 points in their last eight games – have seen them plummet in the table. To add to their woes, Golden State will be without both Steph Curry and Draymond Green tonight. While they have had decent shooting performances in recent losses to Denver and Phoenix, their lack of defensive intensity and inability to finish games is glaring.

Given all of this, I still have a strange feeling tonight. The Warriors are more than capable of defeating this Rockets team. However, given the team’s current streak and the fact that their top scorer and defender are out, I’m leaning toward Houston tonight.

Prediction: Rockets vs Warriors: Missiles -3.5 (-110) available at time of publication. Playable under this number.

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