The Houston Rockets (14-6) are back in action after three full days of rest as they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder (15-4). The Thunder and Rockets come into this matchup as two of the best teams in the Western Conference, which would’ve been a wild thing to say just three years ago. However, now the rebuilds have come full circle as the two look to battle it out to claim supremacy in the West.

There will also be a battle within the battle! The two top players in the West will lock horns with OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander taking on Houston’s Alperen Sengun. Additionally, the Rockets are one of the best defensive teams all thanks to head coach Ime Udoka’s tactics. They have won their last two games in overtime, whereas the Thunder are on a four-game winning streak.

Furthermore, the two teams have already met once this season back in early November and Oklahoma came out on top. The top performers of the night were none other than the duo of, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren as both of them scored 29 points each. However, this time around OKC will be without their towering center who is still recovering from his injury.

Oklahoma will also miss a few other rotation players but so far they have managed to navigate through injuries. However, tonight will be a big test for them. On the other hand, the Rockets are almost at their full strength and willing to take revenge for the defeat they suffered earlier this season. Let’s dive in and take a closer look at all the updates before this heavyweight clash in the West.

OKC Thunder vs Rockets Injury Reports

Let’s see who’s in and who’s out ahead of the matchup.

Oklahoma City Thunder Injury Report

As mentioned, OKC Thunder will be without their ace center Chet Holmgren who is recovering from a right iliac hip fracture and will remain out for the coming weeks. Another big name missing from the team sheet will of veteran guard Alex Caruso who’s out with a hip injury.

Forward Jaylin Williams is also to be re-evaluated in four to six weeks after he suffered a hamstring injury. Then we have Ousmane Dieng who is ruled out with a right finger fracture and the last name on the report is Alex Ducas who is also out with a hip problem and is questionable for tonight.

Houston Rockets Injury Report

As far as the Rockets are concerned they are at their full strength and have no player unavailable due to injury which will be a huge boost for the team going into a top-end matchup.

OKC Thunder and Houston Rockets’ Depth Charts

This is how the two teams stack up against each other and also the possible lineups for tonight.

Oklahoma City Thunder Depth Chart

Houston Rockets Depth Chart

To sum it up, This will be a must-watch game and definitely, all eyes will on this matchup. Oklahoma and Houston are the best teams in the West at the moment and both are No.1 and No.2 defensively in the league. Although OKC is missing key pieces in Holmgren and Caruso, Shai has been simply brilliant and has really stepped up for his team. On the other hand, for Houston Jalen Green has been in red-hot form and has Fred VanVleet and Alperen Sengun to back him. It’s really hard to pick any favorites for this one as it could be anyone’s game tonight.