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Houston Rockets are heating up at the right time, as they shoot for their sixth straight win tonight against the
Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center.
The Rockets will also visit the Utah Jazz, and are 24-15 as the visitor this season. Houston has won three in a row on the road.
Houston is currently tied with San Antonio at a half game behind the Hornets and Lakers for the top spot in the Western Conference standings. The Rockets and Spurs are also a half game behind New Orleans in the Southwest Division. Houston remained in the hunt with Friday's 101-90 victory over the Phoenix Suns at the Toyota Center, as Tracy McGrady posted 22 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the fifth-seeded Rockets.
Luis Scola contributed 19 points and five boards, while Dikembe Mutombo ended with eight points, eight boards and three blocked shots. Rockets forward and defensive stalwart Shane Battier is questionable for Sunday's game with a bruised left foot/ankle.
Denver, meanwhile, is tied with Golden State for the eighth and final postseason berth in the West, but holds the tiebreaker over the Warriors. The Nuggets need to win out in order to punch their ticket to the postseason. But if they lose just once more and the Warriors win out, Golden State will capture the eighth seed.
The Nuggets completed a four-game trip with a 2-2 mark, and sustained a 124-97 loss to the Utah Jazz on Saturday at EnergySolutions Arena. Allen Iverson netted 28 points and Carmelo Anthony scored 22 for the Nuggets, who had a two- game winning streak come to an end.
Denver will open a two-game homestand versus Houston and Memphis tonight to close out the regular season, and owns a 31-8 record at the Pepsi Center this season. It has won nine of 10 and 11 of the last 13 games as the host.
Sunday's game between the Rockets and Nuggets is the fourth and final matchup of the regular season. Houston is 2-1 in the season series, and has won six of the last eight matchups.
Houston has won four of its last six games at the Pepsi Center.
