The Golden State Warriors travel to Texas to play the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on Thursday.

The Warriors (12-3) come into this game losing two of their last four games, which is a massive slump for this powerhouse. It's clear what the issue is, as they'll be without Stephen Curry for the next five games. Curry is currently nursing an abductor strain and Warriors fans are just happy that it's not his nagging ankle. NBA fans aren't talking about Curry though, as all the talk around the Warriors is surrounding the Kevin Durant-Draymond Green spat. It's unclear exactly what was said between the two but it's clear there's some animosity in the locker room. That little argument got Green suspended for their victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, as he's expected to return here. It's funny that there's all this drama around the Warriors and they still sit with the second-best record in the league. That's just how dominant Golden State is and they're heavy favorites to repeat yet again despite all of the gossip and rumors surrounding this club.

The Rockets (6-7) got off to a dreadful start but recent results would indicate that they're out of their slump. In fact, Houston has won five of their last seven games, with four of those coming on the road. What's really encouraging is how well the defense is playing right now, as they've allowed 103 or fewer points in six-straight games. That's an unbelievable mark from a team who was expected to struggle defensively and it's clear that won't be an issue for them this season. The real issues have come on the offensive end, with the Rockets sitting 28th in scoring. That's a shocking statistic from a team who sat top-five in nearly every offensive category last season and it's only a matter of time before they start playing better on that end of the floor. What's also ironic about this mini-surge is the fact that it's all come with Carmelo Anthony sidelined, as many skeptics believe he's played his final game for the Rockets.

Houston actually won their three-game season series over Golden State last season, despite losing in the Conference Finals in seven games. Prior to that, the Warriors won 11 of their previous 12 regular-season games over the Rockets coming into last season.