Charlotte @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 27, 2019 ) Houston 118, Charlotte 113

The Houston Rockets barely kept alive their winning streak Sunday at Dallas and will try to stretch the run to nine in a row when they open a four-game homestand against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday. Chris Paul blocked Jalen Brunson's potential game-winning shot before the buzzer to cap the Rockets' 94-93 victory over the Mavericks.

Eric Gordon scored 26 points and Paul handed out nine assists for Houston, which pulled within 2 1/2 games of second-place Denver in the Western Conference. "We couldn't find any rhythm, fouls, we weren't mentally sharp," coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters. ". ... We just gutted it out toward the end. We're lucky to get away with this one." The Hornets began a road-heavy stretch run with a 131-114 loss at East-leading Milwaukee on Saturday, their 10th loss in the last 14 games. The slump has Charlotte in 10th place in the East, one game behind eighth-place Miami in the race for the final playoff spot.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBATV, FS Southeast (Charlotte), AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston)

ABOUT THE HORNETS (30-36): Kemba Walker scored 25 points in the loss at Milwaukee, where the team was forced to take stock of its situation after seeing an early 14-point lead fade away in a dramatic fashion. "We understand every game feels like a must-win for us," coach James Borrego told reporters. "We've been in the top eight in the conference 93 percent of the season. There's a will to survive and win, and I think we have that." Small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is day-to-day after missing the loss with a knee issue, while point guard Tony Parker is expected to return after one game of rest.

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (41-25): Reigning MVP James Harden was held to 20 points on 7-of-25 shooting at Dallas and Paul also struggled to finish 2-for-11 from the floor as Houston made 36.4 percent of its shots, the team's worst figure in that department since Jan. 21. There was a sense of pride in making up for the shooting issues by locking down on the defensive end, especially on the final possession when the Rockets - especially forward PJ Tucker - kept the ball out of star rookie Luka Doncic's hands. "Luka, obviously we know how good he is," D'Antoni told the media. "PJ, again, defensively was just a bear out there."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Harden scored 30 points while Walker led the Hornets with 35 in Houston's 118-113 win at Charlotte in the first meeting Feb. 27.

2. Hornets SF Miles Bridges was 7-for-9 from the floor at Milwaukee after going 2-for-12 over his previous two games.

3. Rockets PF Kenneth Faried (hip) will return Monday after missing the previous five games.

PREDICTION: Rockets 113, Hornets 103