Harden leads Houston into matchup with New York
Houston Rockets (26-20, fifth in the Western Conference) vs. New York Knicks (10-35, 14th in the Eastern Conference)
New York; Wednesday, 7 p.m. Eastern
BOTTOM LINE: James Harden leads Houston into a matchup against New York. He ranks first in the league averaging 35.7 points per game.
The Knicks have gone 4-15 at home at the Madison Square Garden. New York is 2-6 in one-possession games.
The Rockets are 9-13 on the road. Houston is 13-9 in games decided by at least 10 points. The two teams match up for the first time this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Tim Hardaway Jr. has averaged 19.6 points and 3.3 rebounds for the Knicks. Noah Vonleh has averaged 8.4 rebounds and added 9.9 points per game over the last 10 games for New York.
Harden is first on the Rockets with 5.0 made 3-pointers per game. He averages 35.7 points per game and is shooting 37.8 percent from beyond the arc. Austin Rivers has averaged 3.8 assists and scored 12.2 points over the last 10 games for Houston.
LAST 10 GAMES: Rockets: 5-5, averaging 120.5 points, 41.1 rebounds, 21 assists, 7.8 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 44.0 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 119.6 points on 49.0 percent shooting.
Knicks: 1-9, averaging 103.6 points, 41.3 rebounds, 20.3 assists, 8.4 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 41.4 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.8 points on 48.4 percent shooting.
Knicks Injuries: Luke Kornet: out (sprained left ankle), Kristaps Porzingis: out (knee).
Rockets Injuries: Brandon Knight: out (knee), Chris Paul: out (strained left hamstring), Clint Capela: out (right thumb).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by HERO Sports, and data from Sportradar.