Knicks at Rockets
The Houston Rockets are streaking at the right time and have a golden opportunity to continue their pursuit of a higher seed in the Western Conference. The Rockets open a two-game homestand -- their last of the regular season -- that features the worst team in each conference, beginning with a visit from the New York Knicks on Friday.
After New York leaves town, Houston hosts the Phoenix Suns in its home finale, hoping to slice into a 1 1/2-game deficit behind second-place Denver in the West. "If we're doing what we're supposed to do, nobody can beat us," forward PJ Tucker told ESPN after an impressive 135-103 win at the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. "Anybody, don't matter. ... If we play at this level, we're going to win. I don't care who we play. If we play like we play tonight, we're going to win." The Rockets have won four straight and 18 of their last 21 to move into third place in the West, breathing down the neck of the Nuggets and a half-game up on Portland. The Knicks opened a two-game road trip with a 114-100 loss at Orlando and are close to clinching the worst record in the NBA.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston)
ABOUT THE KNICKS (15-63): With an eye toward the future, New York is hoping to gain some valuable lessons in taking on playoff-bound teams late in the season. "I was really happy with the way we came in here and played," coach David Fizdale told reporters after the loss to the Magic. "We're playing these games like they're playoff games for us. We gave ourselves a chance, we just didn't finish it off." Forward Mario Hezonja, who didn't get off the bench the previous two games, scored a career-high 29 points while tying his season high with nine rebounds at Orlando.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (51-28): With MVP candidate James Harden on fire on the offensive end and fellow stars Chris Paul and Clint Capela both healthy after battling various injuries earlier in the season, Houston is looking very formidable. "I really think we're starting to peak at a good time going into the playoffs," guard Austin Rivers told reporters. "If we can keep this up, like I said earlier and people made a big deal of it, but I think if we continue to defend like this and play like this, I really think we can do something special." Harden had 31 points against the Clippers while Paul chipped in 29 points -- three on a 60-footer to end the third quarter -- and Capela added 24 to go along with 15 rebounds.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Knicks C Mitchell Robinson failed to block a shot against Orlando to snap his franchise rookie record of 34 consecutive games with at least one.
2. Harden is averaging 38.1 points over his last seven games to bump his league-leading mark to 36.3.
3. Houston won 25 of the last 27 meetings.