Dwight Howard Kevin McHale Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets coach Kevin McHale wants his team to come up with a improved performance against Warriors tonightReuters

Golden State Warriors have been the team to beat in the NBA this season with a record of 33 wins and six loses to their name till date.

Tonight's opponent for the Warriors, Houston Rockets also enjoy a good record with 29 wins and 13 losses, as they are placed fourth in the Western Conference standings.

But, The Rockets have been dismal against the Warriors this season, where they have lost on all their previous outings. The first two matches scores read 98-87 and 105-93.

It is going to be a tough match for the Rockets, despite having a 7-3 record in their last ten games, but in that aspect as well, Warriors look set with only one loss in their last ten games. To make things more difficult for the Houston Rockets, the Golden State Warriors thrashed the Denver Nuggets 122-79 last time out.

Many might have felt that the Rockets could not deliver their best in the absence of Dwight Howard in their two NBA games against the Warriors, but when the teams clashed on 17 January with Howard in their lineup, even he could not stop the Warriors. The score read an even more lopsided 131-106.

The last time Rockets lost all four games to Warriors was in 1973-74, and the present Rockets team do not want a repeat.

The Golden State Warriors have been on a tremendous run and if they beat the Houston Rockets for the fourth time this season, they can establish a franchise record with a 17th straight home victory.

Rockets coach Kevin McHale is aware that the team has not been putting up a good game against the Warriors.

"We just got to be a lot better," coach McHale was quoted as saying by AP. "We did not put up any kind of fight, we had no effort versus that team last time."

With a victory against Pacers in their last game, the Rockets are in good shape to face the Golden State Warriors. But, they will need their star player, James Harden to be on top of his game, which could make the contest interesting as well with Stephen Curry, Warriors' star on the other side of the court.

"He's playing at an elite level that few players get to," McHale said about Harden.

"He's really playing well and we've put a lot of responsibility on him."

Where to Watch Live

The game is scheduled for a 1.30 pm ET (9 am IST, 3.30 am GMT) start with live coverage in the US on ESPN. Live Stream the game on Watch ESPN.

Viewers in India can catch the game live on Sony Six with the live streaming option on Livsports.in.

Audience across the world can also catch the big game live online on NBA.com.