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A pair of Western Conference teams will get together on Thursday night in the National Basketball Association. The Minnesota Timberwolves are on the road at the Houston Rockets.  The Timberwolves are coming off the loss on the road in Orlando, which snapped their five game winning streak. Minnesota is 29-17 on the season and fourth in the Western Conference standings. Minnesota is 1/2 game behind San Antonio for third.

The Houston Rockets are also coming off a loss, the tough defeat at the Staples Center. The Rockets are second in the Western Conference with their 30-12 record on the season. The Rockets are 4.5 games behind Golden State for the top spot in the West.  The Houston Rockets are -5 over the Minnesota Timberwolves in this Thursday Night affair in the National Basketball Association.

Rockets Seeking Bounce Back

The loss got ugly for the Houston Rockets at the Staples Center. Despite that, Houston has high hopes of bouncing back. The Rockets still manage a 2.5 game lead in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference. Houston scored 117.5 points per game in a three game stretch in which they beat the Bulls, Trail Blazers and the Suns. Houston is second in the NBA with 114.6 points per game.

James Harden is out for the Rockets, which has given Chris Paul free reign in the offense. The point guard has played in 25 games this season, and is third on the team with 18.6 points per game. He trails James Harden and Eric Gordon. The Rockets have gotten a boost from Gerald Green, who has come in and scored 15.6 points per game in his first 10 games of the season.

Minnesota Leads Northwest Division

The Minnesota Timberwolves came into Orlando with five straight wins. Those wins were over the Pelicans, Cavaliers, Thunder, Knicks and Portland.. But, things did not go their way Tuesday in the loss. The Timberwolves are still one of the top scoring teams in the league with more than 108 points per game. Defensively, they have improved, as they are 12th allowing 104.7 per game.

The top scorer for Minnesota has been Jimmy Butler. The former Bulls top scorer has dropped in more than 21 points per game, while dishing out 5 assists per game. Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson round out the scoring for the Timberwolves. Minnesota is looking to surpass their win total of a season ago with just 3 more wins.

Rockets Whip Minnesota

The Houston Rockets are back home, and ready to prove they are still a team that is tough to beat without Harden. Their top scorer will be back soon, but Minnesota is a playoff contender, and the Rockets do not kike that. Look for Minnesota to see their struggles continue in this game. The Houston Rockets -5 over the Minnesota Timberwolves is the way to go in this game. Bet on the Houston Rockets -5 over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night.