The Houston Rockets play host to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Toyota Center on Friday evening.

The Rockets (0-1) fell in their season-opener against the Timberwolves in Minnesota on Wednesday. They fell behind early and were not able to gather themselves, as they trailed by 28 points after three quarters. They were finally able to outscore the host in the final quarter, but it was much too little, too late. However, the young Rockets squad have a chance to bounce back with a renewed enthusiasm, as they look ahead to their home-opener on Friday night. Kevin Porter Jr. finished with 11 points, three rebounds and three assists, while Jalen Green totaled nine points, four rebounds and four assists in Wednesday's loss. Christian Wood was the high-point man for the Rockets with 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting, while veteran Eric Gordon chipped in 15 points off the bench. Danuel House Jr. (personal) did not play on Wednesday night and remains questionable for action on Friday.

Meanwhile, The Thunder (0-1) are also coming off a loss in their season-opener, as they fell short in Utah on Wednesday. They did not get out to a good start in the contest and trailed by nine points after one quarter. They picked up the pace in the second but the deficit grew to 12, by halftime. The Thunder could not find any answers the rest of the way, as they were outscored, 53-44, through the second half. They only had three players score in double digits in the loss, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who totaled 18 points on 7-of-17 shooting. Darius Bazley added 15 points, seven rebounds and two assists, while Jeremiah Robinson-Earl chipped in 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, off the bench. Rookie Josh Giddey finished with just four points but hauled in 10 rebounds in his NBA debut. The Thunder will have a much better chance going up against the Rockets, which is a team in a similar position in terms of developing a young core, rather than their first game of the season which had them up against the Jazz, who had the best record in the West last season.