Golden State @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 4, 2018 ) Golden State 124, Houston 114

The two best teams in the Western Conference square off on Saturday, when the Golden State Warriors visit the Houston Rockets. The Warriors matched a franchise record with their 14th consecutive road victory on Wednesday, a stretch that includes a 124-114 victory at Houston on Jan. 4.

Golden State knocked off four strong Eastern Conference teams -- Milwaukee, Toronto, Cleveland and Chicago -- over the first four games of its current trip and earned a 119-112 win over the Bulls on Wednesday despite being without Draymond Green (shoulder) and Andre Iguodala (calf) and losing Jordan Bell (ankle) in the opening minute. Bell, who came down hard on his left ankle while trying to block a dunk on the opening possession Wednesday, underwent an MRI on Thursday and is the one most likely to sit out Saturday of the three injured players. The Rockets are getting healthier and just got All-Star James Harden back from a hamstring injury that cost him seven games, including that Jan. 4 matchup with Golden State. "It felt good to be back on the court, just that atmosphere, dribbling the basketball," Harden told reporters after returning in a 116-98 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday. "Those seven (games) felt like an extremely long time, but the feeling and the vibe feels great. We got a win, and that's all that matters."

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (37-9): The "splash brothers" tandem of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 68 points while going 13-of-24 from 3-point range on Wednesday. "Klay got hot, I made a couple of threes, we got some stops, and that's usually our recipe for success," Curry told reporters. "We didn't play well in the second quarter, and at the end of the fourth. But over the course of 48 minutes, we try to impose our will." Curry was the Western Conference's leading vote-getter in All-Star balloting announced on Thursday and will serve as a team captain along with LeBron James at next month's All-Star game.

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (31-12): Harden struggled to 10 points on 3-of-15 shooting in 26 minutes on Thursday and will have his minutes increased incrementally. "Shots felt good," told reporters. "They just didn't go in. It'll be like that sometimes. Put some work in tomorrow, get ready for Saturday's game." Harden's return pushed shooting guard Eric Gordon back into a sixth man role, and he responded by going off for 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting, including 7-of-13 from 3-point range, in the win.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Rockets SF Trevor Ariza and SG Gerald Green will both miss the game while serving the last of a two-game suspension for aggressively entering the Los Angeles Clippers locker room after a loss on Monday.

2. Warriors SF Kevin Durant will join Curry and Harden as All-Star Game starters.

3. Golden State won in its last seven regular-season trips to Houston.

PREDICTION: Warriors 126, Rockets 120