The surging Houston Rockets look to keep their momentum rolling as they host the Sacramento Kings Saturday night at the Toyota Center. Houston enters as a 5-point favorite, riding high after winning three straight at home.
Fred VanVleet’s expected return from an ankle injury couldn’t come at a better time for the Rockets, who’ve gone 5-5 in their last 10 games but sit pretty at 37-22 overall.
The Rockets have been tough to beat on their home court, posting a solid 20-9 record this season.
Sacramento (30-28) comes in hot too, having won their last two games by double digits. They’re still finding their groove after trading away De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio, but they’ve managed to put up impressive numbers lately.
The Kings’ offense has been clicking, averaging nearly 119 points over their last 10 games while shooting a red-hot 49.1% from the floor.
Domantas Sabonis has been a force for Sacramento, leading the team with 14.4 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game. The scoring load is spread between Zach LaVine (22.9 ppg), DeMar DeRozan (22.0 ppg), and Sabonis (19.9 ppg).
Houston’s defense will have their hands full. The Rockets have allowed just 108.1 points per game in their last 10 matchups, but they’ve struggled shooting the ball at 43.6%.
The Kings have dominated this rivalry lately, winning 8 of their last 11 against Houston. But the Rockets have been practically unbeatable at home recently, winning 5 of their last 6 in Houston.
Want to catch the action? Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET. You can watch on AT&T SportsNet Southwest or NBC Sports California.
The stats suggest Houston has the edge – ESPN’s Basketball Power Index gives them a 67.6% chance to win.
Both teams are relatively healthy heading into this one. The only notable absence is Houston’s Cody Zeller, who’s away from the team for personal reasons.
