Rockets-Warriors Preview

Houston's James Harden, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, is at the top of his game. Golden State, the two-time defending champion, is struggling to find its best form.

It should be fascinating Thursday night when the Rockets visit the Warriors.

Harden brings his historic streak of high-scoring games against a Golden State team that limited his effectiveness when the clubs met in the Western Conference Finals last May, a series won 4-3 by Golden State.

Harden, the league's leading scorer, will be seeking a ninth straight game with 35 or more points, a feat that has been accomplished just three times since the NBA/ABA merger in 1976. Harden is seeking to match LeBron James' nine-game run in 2006 as the third-longest since '76.

"You can't settle," Harden said on the eve of his fourth straight game with 40 or more points in Houston's 113-101 home win over Memphis on Monday. "Never can settle. Never can be satisfied. I always want more."

The Rockets (21-15) are taking the same approach. They have won five straight and 10 of 11 since sitting at 11-14 on Dec. 8.

Less than a month later, they have rebounded to the top of the Southwest Division, within 3.5 games of the top spot in the West, a position in which they finished last season.

The Warriors (25-13), meanwhile, find themselves in the same spot in the West -- second -- in which they finished last season, although they have staggered far more obviously in order to get there.

They have won two in a row, both on the road, in the wake of consecutive losses at home to the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers. But the Warriors didn't lose their 13th game last season until Feb. 6. The year before, it was March 10.

Some of Golden State's problems this season can be attributed to injuries. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green each has missed almost one-third of the season, while DeMarcus Cousins has yet to play as he rehabs from Achilles surgery.

Curry was out of action, and Green was limping on a sprained toe, when the Warriors were blown out 107-86 at Houston in November.

Harden contributed 27 points to the November win in just 32 minutes, although the Warriors harassed him into 8-for-23 shooting.

Cousins is expected to debut later this month, but in the meantime, the Warriors are healthier than they have been all season. Coach Steve Kerr expects his club to capitalize.

"I'd like to see if we can put together a nice stretch here," he said after Monday's 132-109 road drubbing of the Phoenix Suns. "If everyone stays healthy, I think we will."

It is Houston that will be short-handed, with Chris Paul out with a hamstring issue and Eric Gordon struggling to return from a knee injury.

Paul also missed the last two games of the Western Conference Finals last season, games won by the Warriors by 29 and nine points. Harden, while scoring 32 points in each of those games, missed 19 of 25 3-point attempts.