Losers of two straight

The 11-5 Houston Rockets are happy to be back home as their short, two-game road trip resulted in losses following an eight-game winning streak. They were overwhelmed by the Denver Nuggets, 105-95, and got edged out in a 122-119 thriller by the Los Angeles Clippers.

James Harden will be in an even bigger spotlight Monday with Luka Doncic in town. The Beard is coming in boasting averages of 38.3 points, 7.8 assists, 1.7 steals, and 4.8 threes per game, and he’ll be expected to light up the scoreboard and upstage the visiting rising star. Though known to be in situations where he’s hoisting too many jumpers, Harden’s actually in an efficient run as of late as he has shot 50% or better in five of his last seven outings.

Rockets big man Clint Capela will be in an interesting match-up with his Dallas Mavericks counterparts, particularly Kristaps Porzingis. Capela is riding high on a six-game stretch where he’s posting 15 points, 20 boards, and 2.1 blocks.

Russell Westbrook, meanwhile, is in a favourable match-up to bully the opposing guards. He, however, has only been shooting a woeful 33.3% in his last five.

The streaking Mavericks

The 10-5 Dallas Mavericks have now put together four consecutive wins, including back-to-back victories of 42 and 48 points. In the current streak, they are averaging 128 points and shooting 51.9% from the floor and 43.9% from downtown.

Luka Doncic

So much for a sophomore slump. Luka Doncic picked up right from where left off from his superb rookie year and kicked it up a notch. He has captivated the basketball world by playing at an unprecedented level and putting up numbers that only the all-time greats have done. In fact, he’s fresh off setting a record for the fastest 30-point triple-double, as he accomplished the feat in just 26 minutes. What’s scary for the league is he’s only 20, years and years away from hitting his full peak.

Doncic currently leads the league in triple-doubles with seven and he’s stuffing the stat sheet through averages of 29.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 9.7 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. Shooting-wise, his improvement have him increasing his clip to 49.3%.

PREDICTION:

Harden and Luka are sure to have out-of-this-world numbers yet again, but with the Rockets being at home and the more experienced core, they’ll be the ones who come out on top.