The Rockets are 3-3 in December, but they’ve had a difficult schedule. Starting Thursday versus New Orleans, that will change over the next 10 games.

From there, the contest ramped up in physicality, with both teams getting to the line often. At the half, Houston held a 42-41 lead. The team’s had combined to his just six of 37 3-point attempts. Backup point guard Amen Thompson was nearly the only bright spot on offense,

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis Antetokounmpo headline the NBA Cup finals. Both MVP candidates can utilize the national platform to boost their MVP cases. While the Thunder have been the league's best team, the Bucks are always a viable title threat and have recently played better.