Tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET in Chesapeake Arena, the Oklahoma City Thunder (46-17) will host the surging Houston Rockets (44-19) in a battle of Western Conference heavyweights that fans can watch on NBA TV. Live stream the game online by clicking this link; Rockets fans can hear the action on KBME Sports Talk 790, while Thunder fans can listen to the radio broadcast on WWLS 98.1.
Tonight will mark Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook's first crack at the Rockets since suffering a torn meniscus in the playoffs after his Rockets counterpart Patrick Beverley ran into his leg. The bigger story, though, is Oklahoma City's defense.
The Thunder just dropped a 114-110 game to the Lakers that exposed the damage done by losing starting shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha, but head coach Scott Brooks has been drilling defense since then.
"We worked on a lot of defensive things that we have to get better at," Brooks said. "One of the things I love about our group is that we've always tried to figure out ways to do it together, whether we won a game or are not playing well and losing a game. We still want to figure out how to get better together."
Former Thunder sixth man James Harden knows any time he goes against Oklahoma City is an occasion, but because of the close-knit nature of the Western playoff chase each game is significant. "Each game is important from here on out," Harden said. "We're fighting for positioning. We're fighting for home-court advantage, so no matter who we play it's going to be a tough game."
The Thunder have dipped out of the West's top spot during their recent malaise, while the Rockets have taken five straight, including W's over Miami and Indiana. "I think it's big. I think every game impacts the next game," Rockets guard Jeremy Lin said. "You see guys go in crazy streaks and a lot of it is just keeping momentum or building off of whatever you've been working with."
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