Event of the Day: Houston Rockets versus Golden State Warriors

Our event of the day is the NBA clash between the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors at the Toyota Center in Houston. This is the duel of the two leading teams in the Western Conference – Houston are second with a 31-12 record, while Golden State are on top, with the league’s best record of 37 wins and 9 defeats. The Rockets have four wins in their last five games, and defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-98 at home on Thursday. The Warriors have lost just one of their last ten fixtures, and are on a four-game winning streak – these four wins have been secured away from home, the last coming on Wednesdayagainst the Chicago Bulls 119-112. This will be the fifth straight match on the road for the champions, however they have the NBA’s best away record of 21-3. Power forward Draymond Green, who leads the visitors on assists (7.6 on average per game) and rebounds (7.9 on average per game), should return to action following a shoulder injury, but small forward Andre Iguodala will likely miss another game due to a calf contusion.

 

Leading scorers, point guard Stephen Curry (27.7 points per game) and small forward Kevin Durant (26.2 per game), will be the main threats to Houston. The hosts will be without Trevor Ariza and Gerald Green who’ll be sitting out their second and last game of the suspension they received due to an altercation after their loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. The Rockets will rely on the league’s top scorer with 31.7 points per match, shooting guard James Harden, who has also scored the second most three-pointers this season, 146 – behind only Klay Thompson of the Warriors, with 152. It should be a thrilling game between two title candidates at the Toyota Center.

 

Honourable mentions around the globe go to the UFC 220 at the TD Garden in Boston. The event headliner is the UFC Heavyweight Championship bout between current champion Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou. It’s Day 3 of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club; and Day 3 at the CareerBuilder Challenge in California. The 2018 Snooker Masters continues at Alexandra Palace in London. 2-man bobsleigh and women’s bobsleigh are scheduled at the IBSF World Cup in Königssee. It’s Day 6 of the 2018 Australian Open at Melbourne Park. In the Big Bash League, the Melbourne Stars face the Sydney Thunder at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. In the NHL, the Philadelphia Flyers host the New Jersey Devils at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, whilst the San Jose Sharks take on the Pittsburgh Penguins at the SAP Center in San Jose. In further NBA action, the Cleveland Cavaliers are up against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. In the Premier League, Burnley welcome Manchester United to Turf Moor in Burnley.

 

Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!

 

Fixture

 

Photos by NBA