Houston is healthy, has won seven straight and now the No. 4 seed in the West is there for the taking because of all the Lakers' injury issues. So I don't see any lack of motivation tonight -- plus a payback spot for an earlier loss in Philly. The Sixers have lost two in a row and it's the front of a back-to-back for them. I'd be just fine if they rested Joel Embiid as he murdered the Rockets in that first meeting.

As the regular season plays out, it’s only fun to play matchups in which both teams actually care. There aren’t many of them, but this qualifies. Houston has won seven straight, and is on a 4-2 ATS run. The Rockets are tied with the Lakers for the No. 4 spot but lose the tiebreaker, so this game is of utmost importance. Philly could get itself out of the play-in but it’s a stretch, and Joel Embiid, while not on the injury report, could be restricted.