Kings at Rockets
The Houston Rockets are trying to snag the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, and they have the benefit of facing a team with little to play for Wednesday. The Rockets are a half-game behind Memphis for the No. 2 seed as they prepare to host the Sacramento Kings. The Kings have lost two straight following a four-game winning streak and are trying to salvage a split of their four-game road trip.
Houston had won four straight and seven of eight before a 99-96 loss at Toronto on Monday in which the Rockets took the lead with 1:44 to play but didn't score the rest of the way. "We've been able to get stops and find a way to scrape out games like this most of the year," coach Kevin McHale told reporters. "We weren't able to do it (Monday). We had our chances." The Rockets have won the first two meetings this season and four straight overall against the Kings and are trying to finish a sweep of the season series for the first time since 2012.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN California (Sacramento), ROOT (Houston)
ABOUT THE KINGS (26-47): Sacramento will be without one of its stars with Rudy Gay (20.9 points) sidelined by a concussion suffered in the third quarter of Monday's 97-83 loss at Memphis. Center DeMarcus Cousins (24.1 points, 12.4 rebounds) should be back after getting the night off against the Grizzlies. Cousins has recorded double-doubles in nine of his last 11 games, including three straight, and has 44 this season.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (50-24): Houston was a bit short-handed in its loss to the Raptors, as big man Dwight Howard (15.9 points, 10.6 rebounds) got the night off to rest his injured knee, joining several other key players on the bench. The Rockets still have star James Harden (27.2 points, seven assists), and their depth has allowed them to overcome the recent spate of injuries. Trevor Ariza has helped pick up the slack at the offensive end, averaging 16 points and 7.5 rebounds over the past four games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Rockets have made 847 3-pointers this season and need 44 to match the NBA single-season mark set by the New York Knicks in 2012-13.
2. The Kings have been held to 88 points or fewer in their back-to-back losses after scoring at least 100 in the previous six contests.
3. Houston is 22-2 when scoring at least 110 points, while Sacramento is 2-23 when allowing 110 or more.