Three Things to Watch for as Rockets Take on Nets

Tonight, the Houston Rockets take on the Brooklyn Nets, hoping to grab a fourth-straight win.

After suffering a few losses to lowly West teams, Houston has now rebounded, and taken care of business against several tough opponents. Somehow, the Nets now fit into that, having seen a mid-season resurgence centered around defense.

Here are three things to watch for tonight as Houston takes on Brooklyn:

Nets are on a hot streak

The Nets have won seven of their last 11 games, beating teams like Chicago, Milwaukee, Toronto, Philadelphia and Minnesota.

Michael Porter Jr. leads the way on offense, averaging what should be good for an All-Star spot with 25.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Despite their youth, Brooklyn has really ratcheted things up defensively, sliding around on the perimeter with Nicolas Claxton lurking inside.

The Rockets will need to be sharp on both ends, but especially offensively, to leave Brooklyn with a win.

KD could be the key

With the Rockets needing offensive fire-power, looking to superstar Kevin Durant is the natural progression.

He’s the team’s leading scorer at 25.5 points per game on the season, and has seen two 30-point, 65% shooting games in a row. He’s also ramped up his play-making in recent weeks, dishing out eight assists in four different contests.

If Brooklyn’s able to limit KD, the rest of the Rockets’ offense is sure to look clunky as well. If he can thrive, which is the norm, it should trickle down to other Rockets.

Rockets can make up ground in the West

With its losing spell, Houston fell several spots in the standings, going as low as the sixth seed before bouncing-back to No. 4. The Rockets have grappled for No. 2 all season long, and would like to return there quickly.

Former three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is slated to be out for a month with a knee hyperextension, giving the Rockets an opportunity to surpass Denver, and make up ground on San Antonio in the process. Houston will need to be especially sharp for the next month, seeing as the Nuggets' have already won a game without Jokic, and when he returns he'll again add his all-time offensive output.

Games like the one with Brooklyn are necessary if Houston wants to finish higher than fourth in the Western Conference, making tonight's game important.

The Rockets and Nets tip off at 5 p.m. CT from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.