Two of the best teams in the NBA this season are set to lock horns on Thursday morning when the Cleveland Cavaliers travel to take on the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center.
The Rockets (28-14) are second in the Western Conference behind the surging OKC Thunder, while the Cavaliers lead the Eastern Conference standings ahead of the Celtics.
Match preview
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The revamped Houston Rockets have been one of the most improved teams in the NBA this season, but they will be looking to return to winning ways in this match after losing to the steadily improving Detroit Pistons 107-96 at home on Monday.
Fred VanVleet top-scored for Houston with 20 points, five rebounds and two assists, Jalen Green contributed 19 points and four assists, and Amen Thompson added 17 points and five assists in the defeat.
Alperen Sengun had a poor outing, finishing with just 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and was simply outmuscled by Jalen Duren, who went on to notch up 16 points and 14 rebounds.
Notably, Ime Udoka's side failed to dominate the possession game as they have done so well for most of this season, while they converted just 39.4% of shots from the field and a dismal 28.2% from beyond the arc.
The Rockets are now averaging 113.8 points per game, which ranks 12th in the scoring charts, but they are still an elite-level defence, allowing just 107.8 PPG (fourth-best in the NBA).
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Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been the best team by some distance in the Eastern Conference this season and are now gunning for a 14th win in 16 after blowing past the Phoenix Suns 118-92 on Monday.
Donovan Mitchell exploded with 33 points, five rebounds and five assists, Darius Garland notched up 16 points and seven assists, and Jarrett Allen turned in 12 points along with 11 rebounds.
One of the keys to Cleveland's success this season has been the contributions made by their rotation players, and that was the case again in the last match, as their bench combined for a very impressive 30 points with Sam Merrill and Jaylon Tyson posting 10 points apiece.
Kenny Atkinson's men came into Monday's game first in the NBA's three-point percentage (39.6%) and second in threes made per game (16.1), but they exceeded that against the Suns, finishing the night on 19 of 46 (41.3%).
The Cavs are the second-highest-scoring team in the NBA as it stands, averaging 122.0 points per game, 1.3 fewer than the league-leading Grizzlies, while they have also been cashing tickets with regularity, now 29-13-0 ATS for the season.
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Team News
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The Rockets are likely to remain without forward duo Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr for this match, with the former still struggling with a lingering leg injury, while the latter is ruled out with a hand injury.
Jock Landale will miss this match due to personal reasons but Cam Whitmore has caught the eye for Houston, having now drained over 12 points per game on 46% shooting since returning from his most recent G League stint.
The Cavaliers were without Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro for a second straight game against the Suns last time out, with Mobley suffering from a right calf strain, while Okoro is nursing a shoulder injury. Both are questionable for this match.
Luke Travers and Emoni Bates are on G League assignments and will remain out for the foreseeable future, while Caris LeVert is still struggling with a wrist issue and will likely be a game-time decision.
Houston Rockets possible starting five:
Brooks, Thompson, Sengun, VanVleet, Green
Cleveland Cavaliers possible starting five:
Thompson, Tyson, Allen, Mitchell, Garland
We say: Cleveland Cavaliers to win by 5+ points
While the Rockets have been much-improved this season and have an impressive 19-9 record at home, you almost cannot back against the Cavaliers in the form they are in, having only lost six games to date.
Cleveland have also won four of the last five matches against Houston and we feel they will add to their impeccable record with another victory in this one.
Devesh Jaganath
