Tip-off: Friday, 8:05 p.m. ET
Line: Los Angeles -3, Total: 195.5

Two red-hot teams will open their weekend at Toyota Center when the short-handed Rockets host the Clippers.

Houston will likely be missing three starters in this game with PF Terrence Jones (leg) out, and both C Dwight Howard (knee) and PG Patrick Beverley (hamstring) listed as doubtful. Despite these injuries, the Rockets have ripped off three straight wins (2-1 ATS), including a 102-89 romp over Sacramento on Wednesday. Los Angeles is also playing great basketball with a 4-1 SU mark (3-2 ATS) in its past five contests, shooting 51% or better in all three ATS victories. The Clippers have done all of this on the road, as they will play their sixth straight away contest on Friday before wrapping up the long road trip Saturday at Utah. For the season, L.A. is 5-2 SU (3-4 ATS) on the road thanks to a hefty 107.7 PPG on 49.2% FG in other arenas. Houston is 6-2 SU (4-4 ATS) at home because of a stingy defense allowing only 90.1 PPG on 41.0% FG to visitors. The Clippers swept the series with the Rockets last season with their four wins (SU and ATS) coming by 19, 13, 8 and 11 points. When these teams last met on March 29 at Toyota Center, L.A. prevailed 118-107 by shooting 47.2% FG and forcing 19 turnovers. Both clubs have positive coaching trends for this matchup, as Doc Rivers is 97-62 ATS (61%) on the road after failing to cover two of the previous three games ATS as an NBA head coach, while Kevin McHale is 10-1 ATS as a home underdog of three points or less since becoming Houston's head coach. Los Angeles will also be without a couple players in SF Matt Barnes (calf) and SG Chris Douglas-Roberts (Achilles).

Can the Clippers win again in a tough road environment? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2014-15 season. StatFox Forecaster has a 60% ATS record (42-28) in featured games this season. StatFox Zach is 5-3 ATS in Best Bets since Nov. 15.

Los Angeles has been pretty efficient on offense this season with 103.3 PPG (9th in NBA) on 47.2% FG (3rd in league) and 37.6% threes (5th in NBA), but the defense has not been nearly as sharp. The Clippers are allowing 100.3 PPG (20th in league) on 45.6% FG (19th in NBA), but have defended the three-point shot well at 33.3% threes (7th in league). PG Chris Paul (18.9 PPG, 9.7 APG, 4.4 RPG, 2.0 SPG) has scored 22+ points in each of his past four games where he's averaged 23.3 PPG on 63% FG (56% threes) with 39 assists and only seven turnovers. He also dominated Houston last season with 20.3 PPG (49% FG, 44% threes), 12.8 APG and 2.3 SPG in the four wins. Many of those assists went to PF Blake Griffin (21.6 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 4.1 APG), who tallied 17.5 PPG (53% FG) and 7.8 RPG versus the Rockets last season. Although he has just one double-double in the past five games (19.0 PPG, 7.6 RPG), Griffin should really benefit from the absence of Dwight Howard. The same can be said for C DeAndre Jordan (8.1 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 2.1 BPG), who is shooting an eye-popping 74% FG this season. Jordan shot an amazing 77% FG (23-of-30) last season in this series, racking up 14.0 PPG, 12.3 RPG and 3.5 BPG in the four meetings. SGs Jamal Crawford (18.2 PPG, 3.3 APG) and J.J. Redick (12.3 PPG) are both connecting on 37% threes this season, but the Rockets have defended the arc better than any NBA club. However, Crawford scored 16.8 PPG on 40% threes, and Redick averaged 24.0 PPG on 36% threes in last season's sweep of the Rockets.

Houston has not been the offensive force it was last season when it finished second in the NBA with 108.0 PPG on 47.0% FG (5th in league). This season, the Rockets have scored only 97.1 PPG (20th in NBA) on a horrible 42.2% FG (27th in league). However, the reason the team has won 12 of its first 15 games is due to a defense holding opponents to an NBA-low 91.5 PPG on 41.7% FG (2nd in league) and an NBA-low 27.5% threes. SG James Harden (25.3 PPG, 6.7 APG, 6.4 RPG, 1.8 SPG) has been a scoring machine with 24+ points in each of the past four contests where he's averaged 29.5 PPG (46% threes), 6.3 APG and 6.3 RPG, 2.0 SPG and 1.3 BPG. Although his numbers were pretty strong against L.A. last season with 19.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 4.8 APG, he also committed 17 turnovers while shooting 36% FG and 17% threes (5-for-30) in the four defeats. SF Trevor Ariza (13.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.8 SPG) also shot poorly versus the Clippers last season as a member of the Wizards, making only 9-of-26 shots (35%) and 1-of-11 threes. He is also in a shooting slump this season with only 11.9 PPG on 33% FG (23% threes) in the past seven games. However, PG Isaiah Canaan (9.3 PPG, 42% threes) picked up the slack in Wednesday's win with 24 points on 9-of-16 FG (6-of-10 threes) with six rebounds, four assists and four steals. With C Dwight Howard (18.8 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 2.3 BPG) missing the past three games, C Donatas Motiejunas (7.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG) has been outstanding as a replacement with 16.0 PPG (62% FG) and 8.7 RPG in the three victories.