The Brooklyn Nets play host to the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on Wednesday.

The Nets (22-23) are one of the surprises of the NBA, as they look like a true contender to reach the postseason. That would be the first time since that disastrous Boston Celtics trade and it really shows the development of this organization. They come into this matchup extremely hot too, winning 14 of their last 19 games. Having such a promising stretch without Caris LeVert is extremely promising for the future, as his return from his ankle dislocation will be a welcomed sight whenever he does return to the floor. The star of the show is D'Angelo Russell though, as he's been playing at an all-star level since LeVert went down. If he can continue to grow and help this team get better, this team will be in great hands with Russell and LeVert moving forward.

The Rockets (25-18) come into this matchup winning 14 of their last 18 games, as James Harden has catapulted himself into the best player in the NBA. While that position can be argued for many reasons, his recent numbers can't be. In fact, Harden is averaging 41.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 2.1 steals across his last 17 games. Those are numbers that would be hard to duplicate in a video game, let alone posting for nearly a quarter of the season. The main reason for that is the fact that Chris Paul and Eric Gordon are injured but both players are expected back sometime this month. Clint Capela going down with a hand injury just adds to the already full training room and it'll put even more on Harden's lofty shoulders.

Houston won their one game over Brooklyn earlier this season, 119-111, on November 2. That marked the Rockets fifth-straight victory over the Nets dating back three seasons.