In a showdown between another young team battling to sneak into the top 8 of the Western Conference, the 12-8 Houston Rockets host the 9-11 Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.
And while Houston is up four games in the standings, they've had a much easier schedule than Minnesota so far, and their point differential (+2.4) isn't significantly better than the Timberwolves (+1.3).
More: Preview coverage of tonight's Rockets vs. Timberwolves game
The match-up everyone will be watching will be at the point guard position, where Ricky Rubio, who has pushed himself into the rookie of the year discussion, will match-up with Kyle Lowry, whose battling to make his first All-Star team in his fourth season in the NBA.
On the interior, the Rockets will need to mix and match their big men against Minnesota All-Star PF Kevin Love, who is averaging 25 points and 14 rebounds a game this season.
The Timberwolves are coming off a tough 106-101 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night, but as a young team, they'll be less affected by the late night cross-country flight to South Texas.
Houston, meanwhile, is looking to wrap up a four-game home-stand with 3-1 record before embarking on a stretch of seven road games in the next two weeks.
The 7:00 PM game will be broadcast regionally on Fox Sports Houston.
The Dream Shake has you covered for the most up-to-the-minute analysis on the Rockets anywhere on the interwebs while the wonderfully named Canis Hoopus has all the pre-game coverage from the Twin Cities.