The Oklahoma City Thunder have battled hard without Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, but they've still lost 7-of-10 overall. They are coming off a home loss to the Pistons, and with the Rockets in town tonight, another home loss is more than than likely.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Road Warriors - Houston is 5-0 on the road so far, and all of those games were decided by double-digits. They are only giving up a few points here, against a depleted OKC team that is 2-2 at home with those wins coming against the Nuggets and Kings.

2. Dwight Howard - He scored 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting, pulling down 16 rebounds in a win over Philly on Friday. He also had seven blocks in that game. He appears to be healthier than we've seen him in recent seasons, and he should have a field day against a thin OKC lineup.

3. X-Factor - Last year the Rockets defense was their biggest weakness, but they are currently allowing opponents to average just 91.6 points per game (2nd in the NBA).

Selection: This is a play on the Houston Rockets (8*)