Houston @ Golden State preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 25, 2019 ) Houston 104, Golden State 116

The Houston Rockets' basketball revolution will begin its stretch run to the playoffs when they come out of the All-Star break and visit the Golden State Warriors on Thursday. The Rockets are taking small ball to the extreme with no center in the lineup and are hoping to make their way up the Western Conference standings over the next several weeks.

Houston comes out of the break in fifth place in the West - two games behind fourth-place Utah and 3 1/2 in back of second-place Denver - and feeling good about itself after a strong performance on both ends of the floor going into the break. The Rockets dropped two in a row before knocking off Boston 116-105 last Thursday and are 5-2 since going to a lineup that spreads the floor and regularly features no player taller than 6-7. The Warriors made small lineups a staple of their run to five straight NBA Finals but no longer have the personnel to make that lineup work with Stephen Curry (hand) and Klay Thompson (knee) injured and Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala off the team. NBA-worst Golden State is trying to teach its scheme to a slew of new players while Curry and Thompson mend and newcomer Andrew Wiggins, who was acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves at the trade deadline, is settling in nicely but still looking for his first win in a Warriors uniform.

TIME: 10:30 p.m. ET. TV: TNT, Sportsnet One

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (34-20): Houston's small-ball lineup was designed to open space in the middle for MVP backcourt duo Russell Westbrook and James Harden to exploit, and the two became the first pair of teammates in franchise history to score 35 or more points in the same regulation game when they combined for 78 in the victory over Boston. "We made a big change, and we've got to get adjusted to that with (former center) Clint (Capela) gone," Westbrook told reporters. "So, we're just kind of getting acclimated to that. I think we've got it moving in the right direction." The space in the middle is proving to do the most good for Westbrook, who is averaging 34.6 points on 53.9 percent shooting over his last 11 games.

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (12-43): Wiggins, who lost his final 13 games with Minnesota, is enduring a personal 16-game slide but is averaging 23 points on 57.5 percent shooting in three games with Golden State. Wiggins' arrival has been a positive for 22-year-old power forward Marquese Chriss, who is averaging 20.3 points on 66.7 percent shooting and 10 rebounds over the last three games. "We're trying to improve for next season, let alone this season," Chriss told reporters after a 112-106 loss at Phoenix sent the team into the break last week. "We're just trying to show we can win some games."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Rockets SG Eric Gordon (knee) sat out the last two games but is expected back on Thursday.

2. Warriors PF Kevon Looney (hip) sat out at Phoenix and is questionable for Thursday.

3. Golden State knocked off Houston 116-104 at home on Christmas Day.

PREDICTION: Rockets 130, Warriors 114