Friday, December 5, 2014 at 8:00 PM

Target Center in Minneapolis

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On Friday night, the Houston Rockets will be going for their third straight win when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves. In their first game against each other this season, the Rockets came away with a 113-101 road win over Minnesota.

In their game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, the Rockets used a 36-point third quarter to propel them to a 105-96 home win. They only made 44.1 percent of their shots in that win, but their defense did well to force 20 Memphis turnovers.

The Rockets currently have the best defense in the NBA by only giving up 93 points per game. They are once against relying heavily on shooting guard James Harden, who is averaging 25 points, 6.6 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game. Small forward Trevor Ariza is averaging 13.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in his first season back with the Rockets.

On Wednesday night, the Timberwolves lost their third straight game when they Philadelphia 76ers defeated them 85-77 in Minnesota. The Wolves did not shoot well in that loss, making just 35.7 percent of their shot attempts.

So far this season, the Wolves have only been able to hold opposing offenses to 109.6 points per game, which makes them one of the worst defensive teams in the league. Center Nikola Pekovic has had a pretty good start to the season by averaging 11.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for Minnesota.

Houston Rockets Betting Trends

Houston Rockets are 10-7-1 Against the Spread

Houston Rockets are 4-14-0 against the Over/Under

Minnesota Timberwolves Betting Trends

Minnesota Timberwolves are 6-10-1 Against the Spread

Minnesota Timberwolves are 11-6-0 against the Over/Under

Injuries to Watch

Houston Rockets

12/04/14 C Dwight Howard Knee expected to miss Friday vs. Minnesota
12/04/14 G Isaiah Canaan Ankle doubtful Friday vs. Minnesota
12/04/14 G Patrick Beverley Hamstring expected to miss Friday vs. Minnesota
11/15/14 F Terrence Jones Leg out indefinitely

Minnesota Timberwolves

11/29/14 C Nikola Pekovic Wrist out indefinitely
11/29/14 C Ronny Turiaf Hip out indefinitely
11/21/14 G Kevin Martin Wrist out indefinitely
11/08/14 G Ricky Rubio Ankle out indefinitely

Tony's Pick: Take Houston

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