The Houston Rockets and the New York Knicks take on each other at the Mecca of Basketball this Sunday. Check out our preview of his showdown below.
Catch this game live on Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 9:30 AM, Manila time
Away: Houston Rockets (34-20, 16-13 Away)
Projected Starting Five:
- Amen Thompson
- Tari Eason
- Kevin Durant
- Jabari Smith Jr.
- Alperen Sengun
The Rockets looked fine right out of the gate of the All-Star break, with Kevin Durant in vintage form against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. The former NBA Most Valuable Player dropped 35 points in the Rockets’ 105-101 road win.
Houston went just 9/32 from behind the arc, but shot 49 percent overall from the field. The Rockets don’t really need to go as crazy as the other teams from deep to win games, as they have won 34 games despite making just 11.3 threes per game (26th in the league through Friday). Moreover, the Rockets are ninth in the NBA with 116.4 points per 100 possessions.
Their defense seems more impressive, as they are fifth with a 111.9 defensive efficiency and also fifth with a 52.7 defensive eFG%.
Home: New York Knicks (35-21, 21-8 Home)
Projected Starting Five:
- Jalen Brunson
- Josh Hart
- Mikal Bridges
- OG Anunoby
- Karl-Anthony Towns
The Knicks still couldn’t solve the Detroit Pistons, but at least they aren’t facing Cade Cunningham and company again this Sunday. Coming off a 126-111 loss at the hands of the Pistons at home on Friday, New York will look to bounce back and get a statement win when it hosts Durant and the Rockets.
It has been an up-and-down ride of late for New York, which has gone 2-3 in its last five outings, though two of those losses were to Detroit.
Jalen Brunson scored 33 points in Friday’s Detroit game, but he’ll look for more support from the others, particularly from OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, who combined for just 16 points in that contest. After all, New York is second in the league with a 119.4 offensive efficiency.
Picks
Spread: New York Knicks (-3)
Over/Under: Under (215)
