The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets are playing live on the NBA schedule on Saturday night and the matchup from the Toyota Center starts at 8 pm ET and will be on NBATV as Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Dwight Howard and James Harden take the court in a battle western conference leaders.
The Warriors come into the game as one of the best teams in the NBA and they are 31-6 on the year and first in the Pacific divsiion. The team comes in after a loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder and they will next play against the Denver Nuggets on Monday at 4 pm ET on Martin Luther King Day. The Warriors are the best offensive team in the league while averaging 109 points per game and they are also tops in assists per game in the first season under new head coach Steve Kerr.
The team is as deep as anyone in the western conference and they have the chance to make a deep run in the playoffs. The team is ranked in the top half of the league in defense and ranked in the top 10 in rebounds per game. The Rockets are 28-12 on the season and they have been a strong team in the west. Klay Thompson comes in after scoring 32 points against the Thunder, while Curry led the team with six assists.
The Rockets come into the game after a win against the Oklahoma City Thunder and they will next play against the Indiana Pacers after the Warriors. James Harden comes in after nearly putting up a triple double and he has been an MVP candidate this year. Harden scored 31 points and had 10 assists with nine rebounds against his old team in the Thunder and he has the chance to really be a force the rest of the season. The Rockets added Josh Smith and while they have been shaky since signing him, the team feels he can give them more options on offense. Curry leads the Warriors with 23 points per game and he is averaging nearly eight assists and they will try and stop the Rockets from winning five in a row at home.
The Rockets defense has been markedly improved from last year and they are ranked in the top six in the NBA this season and they are also in the top 10 in offense, averaging 102 points per game. Harden is averaging 27 points per game this season and he is the league leader in scoring. Harden is playing better defense and has been averaging a career best in assists and that puts him right in the MVP race if the Rockets keep playing this way.
Check here for the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets live coverage.
