Rockets at Kings
The Houston Rockets look to carry the momentum from an exciting win into the finale of a three-game road trip at the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. Despite much of the team getting caught in traffic on the way to the arena, the Rockets picked up a 116-112 victory at Golden State on Friday night in a back-and-forth affair. The victory allowed Houston to quickly get over a loss at Portland the previous night and gave the club its 18th win in the last 22 meetings with the Warriors.
The Rockets have had similar success against the hapless Kings, who have lost nine of the last 11 encounters while giving up at least 101 points in every one of those games. Sacramento had more problems on the defensive end Friday at Phoenix, where it fell 116-107. Rudy Gay scored 24 points in his debut for the Kings after being acquired in a trade with Toronto earlier in the week.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, CSN Houston, CSN California (Sacramento)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (16-8): Houston was able to hold off a late charge by Golden State in part because of some solid free-throw shooting down the stretch, as it made 11-of-12 from the charity stripe in the final 5:35. Center Dwight Howard was 7-for-7 from the line overall, continuing a recent reversal that has given teams pause when considering whether to hack him late in games. Since Howard went 17-for-24 in a win over Denver on Nov. 16, he has taken an average of 8.2 free throws in his last 13 games - making 67.9 percent in his last five - compared to 11.6 attempts in the first 11 games.
ABOUT THE KINGS (6-15): Gay provided his usual scoring punch in his debut, making 8-of-12 shots, but the lack of stops on the other end continues to frustrate head coach Michael Malone. "This is two games in a row where we haven't defended anybody," Malone told reporters following the loss to the Suns. Opponents have buried an average of nine 3-pointers while shooting 39.3 percent from beyond the arc against the Kings, both of which rank second-highest in the NBA and present Sacramento with a challenge against the free-shooting Rockets.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Houston SG James Harden is averaging 28 points and 7.5 assists in his last four games.
2. Sacramento PG Isaiah Thomas has scored at least 20 points in a career-high four straight games.
3. The Kings follow up this affair with four road games in a span of five nights beginning Tuesday.