In one of the many flukes that have come about from the NBA's compressed 66-game regular season after a six-month lockout, the Oklahoma City Thunder will host the Houston Rockets Friday night before traveling to Texas for a rematch on Saturday.
For the Thunder, coming off a two-game losing streak to Dallas and Portland, the double-header against the Rockets will be a chance to establish more consistency against a good but over-matched opponent.
While Oklahoma City has one of the best records in the West at 5-2, their point differential is only +0.6, meaning that they've been scraping by with close victories instead of dominating games from start to finish.
Houston, who gives up 101.8 points a game, 28th worst in the NBA, presents a lot of opportunities for the Thunder to attack the basket and not settle for outside jumpers, as their two starting big men -- Jordan Hill and Luis Scola -- average less than .5 blocks a game.
The 7:00 PM game will be broadcast regionally on Fox Sports Kansas City Plus.
Check out Welcome To Loud City for more on the Thunder, while The Dream Shake has everything you'd ever want to know about the Rockets.