Scouting report: at Cleveland
When/where: 6 p.m. today; Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. TV/radio: ATTSW; 740 AM, 790 AM, 850 AM (Spanish), 101.7 FM (Spanish).
So far: Rockets 15-8; Cavaliers 5-18.
Lately: Rockets’ loss to the Kings was their second in four games and they have lost three of their past four games on the road. The Cavaliers have lost their past seven games and 13 of their past 14 games.
Scouting the Rockets: Team has split its past 10 games. … Rockets have been stuck in the middle of the NBA defensively, ranking 15th in rating, 12th in rebounding percentage, 23rd in points allowed off turnovers and last in fast-break points allowed. … Rockets are 10-2 when outrebounding an opponent by double digits but outrebounded the Kings by 14 in Monday’s home loss. … Guard Russell Westbrook scored a season-high 34 points Monday, making a season-best 76.5 percent of his shots. … The 119-118 loss to Sacramento was the second time in three games in which James Harden (27 points) didn’t lead the Rockets in scoring as he had in previous 19 outings. In the past four games, Harden has made just 13 of 53 3-pointers. In the previous 13 games, he had been shooting 41.4 percent from the 3-point line. … Rockets are 2-5 when Harden scores fewer than 34 points. He averaged 41.5 points on 48.1 percent shooting and 12.5 assists against the Cavaliers last season. … P.J. Tucker had a career-high 19 rebounds Monday. Tucker has posted at least seven rebounds in six consecutive games, one shy of his longest streak with the Rockets.
Scouting the Cavaliers: Team ranks 28th offensively and 29th defensively and are last in the NBA in net rating. … Cavaliers have not won consecutive games against the Rockets since the 2001-02 season. … Cleveland commits the fewest fouls in the NBA (17.6 per game) and allows opponents to take a league-low 17.7 free throws, just 3.4 than Harden attempts per game. … Guard Collin Sexton, averaging 17.3 points per game, had a then career-high 29 against the Rockets last season. Sexton made 58.1 percent of his shots in his two previous games against the Rockets. … In his last 20 games against the Rockets, forward Kevin Love is averaging 21.5 points and 11.8 rebounds. Injury report: Rockets — Center Tyson Chandler (illness), guards Austin Rivers (illness), Eric Gordon (right knee surgery) and Gerald Green (left foot surgery) and center Nene (strained adductor) are out. Cavaliers — Guard Dylan Windler (stress reaction) is out.
By the numbers: 1,001. Steals by James Harden since joining the Rockets in 2012 — the most in the NBA during that stretch.
Looking ahead: Rockets at Magic, Friday; Cavaliers at Spurs, Thursday.