Tip-Off: 2 PM CT

Location: Toyota Center (Houston, Texas)

Television: ABC

Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal

Twitter: Follow @TheThunderGuys for live-tweets during the game

The Oklahoma City lost a heartbreaker at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night, and now they hope to get back on track in a Christmas Day clash in Houston against the Rockets. The Thunder is within range of the top seed in the West, while the Rockets are barely in contention for a playoff spot.

At 17-15, the Rockets have struggled to find a rhythm that came so easily a season ago, while the Thunder has had a much stronger start than the one they had last year.

The Thunder manhandled the Rockets 98-80 earlier in the season, and while the Rockets have had their ups and down, they are playing their best basketball as of late. On top of that, Houston is a challenging place for the Thunder to get win, so hopefully Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and the Thunder deliver a win on Christmas Day.

Projected Starters

Thunder

• PG: Russell Westbrook
• SG: Terrance Ferguson
• SF: Paul George
• PF: Jerami Grant
• C: Steven Adams

Rockets

• PG: James Harden
• SG: Eric Gordon
• SF: Danuel House Jr.
• PF: P.J. Tucker
• C: Clint Capela

Injuries

Thunder

• Andre Roberson (left patellar tendon) is OUT.

Rockets

• Carmelo Anthony (not with team) is OUT.
• James Ennis (right hamstring strain) is OUT.
• Chris Paul (left hamstring strain) is OUT.

Head-to-Head

• Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 17-20 against the Rockets (12-8 at home, 5-12 on the road).
• The Thunder has won 3 of the last 4 matchups with the Rockets overall but only 1 of the last 7 in Houston.
• The Thunder has won the season series with the Rockets 4 times, lost it 4 times, and tied 2 times.
• The Thunder won the regular season with the Rockets last year 2-1 (1-1 at home, 1-0 on the road).
• The Thunder is 1-0 against the Rockets so far this season (1-0 at home, 0-1 on the road).

Game Notes

• The Thunder most recently lost on Sunday to the Minnesota Timberwolves while the Rockets most recently defeated the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.
• Oklahoma City is 9-7 on the road while Houston is 10-5 at home.
• Oklahoma City is 11-9 against the Western Conference while Houston is 10-11.
• The Thunder is 11-6 coming off of one day of rest while Houston is 3-3 coming off of two days of rest.
• The Thunder and the Rockets are both 7-4 in December.
• The Thunder is 1-1 on Tuesdays so far this season while the Rockets are 2-1.
• Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes
• Houston Rockets Official Game Notes

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