Rockets at Nets
The Brooklyn Nets seek a franchise-record 14th straight home win Tuesday while the Houston Rockets aim for their 15th consecutive victory over the Nets when they meet Tuesday in a matchup of teams close to clinching playoff spots. Brooklyn entered Monday with a chance to wrap up a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference with a New York loss in Utah, or it can do the trick with a win over the Rockets, whose magic number to clinch a spot in the West is three. The Nets' run at the Barclays Center continued with a 114-99 win over Minnesota on Sunday, matching Oklahoma City's NBA-high 13-game run at home earlier this season.
Houston had won five in a row before a 118-107 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, and the Rockets are 2 1/2 games behind the Clippers in the race for third place in the West. Starters Dwight Howard and Patrick Beverley missed the game for Houston with injuries; Howard is day-to-day with a left ankle strain and Beverley is out indefinitely with a torn meniscus in his left knee. Howard was one of six Rockets to score in double figures in a 114-95 win over Brooklyn on Nov. 29.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (49-23): Some of those relied upon to pick up the slack for Howard and Beverley fell flat against the Clippers. Guard Jeremy Lin went 1-of-9 from the floor in his first start since Feb. 12 while power forward Terrence Jones managed two points in 19 minutes while dealing with foul trouble. James Harden continued his hot play with 32 points and is averaging 30.8 over his last five games.
ABOUT THE NETS (39-33): After a sluggish showing in Brooklyn's last loss Wednesday in Charlotte, Paul Pierce has found the stroke once again, hitting 10-of-14 3-pointers over the course of consecutive 22-point efforts. The veteran has scored a total of 33 points in the last two first quarters, setting the tone for a squad that has won 13 of 17 overall to continue to turn its poor start into little more than a footnote. "I think a lot of teams with bad character, bad leadership in the locker room would've laid down a long time ago," Pierce told reporters Sunday. "Probably by Christmas would've been making summer plans. But not this group."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Houston has won 10 straight over the Nets on the road.
2. Pierce was limited to two points on 1-of-6 shooting in the loss to Houston in November.
3. The Rockets' last loss in the series was a 90-77 setback at Houston on March 13, 2006.