When it was first announced, the Christmas Day matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets looked like one of the day's most exciting games. However, one of the NBA's fiercest rivalries of the last few seasons has taken a dramatic turn, as the Warriors have gone from perennial championship favorite to potential lottery winner in the blink of an eye (or the fracture of Stephen Curry's hand). That takes a lot of the luster out of what would have been a star-studded matchup, but we'll still get to see James Harden and Russell Westbrook go up against D'Angelo Russell and Draymond Green, assuming they're healthy, which should provide a good amount of entertainment.

Despite the staggering difference in overall records, don't automatically assume this game is going to be a blowout. The Warriors have had trouble closing out games, but they have been competitive in losses throughout the season. On the other side, the Rockets have a penchant for falling behind in the first half, only to turn things on toward the end of the game. That's partly a product of their inability to focus on defense for 48 minutes, but it's also due to the nature of their offense -- when you hoist that many 3-pointers, you're going to go through hot and cold spells, which means you can fall behind just as quickly as you can surge ahead.

There are plenty of storylines for this game, so let's see what to expect from both sides and make some predictions. 

How to Watch

  • Date: Wednesday, Dec. 25 | 5 p.m. ET
  • Location: Chase Center -- San Francisco, California
  • TV: ABC | Stream: WatchESPN.com
  • Odds: GS +500 | HOU -700 | O/U: 226.5

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Storylines

Rockets: The player to watch in this matchup is obviously Harden, who's been on an absolute scoring tear this season. He's currently averaging over 38 points per game, which no player has done in the history of the NBA besides Wilt Chamberlain -- Michael Jordan averaged 37.09 points per game in 1986-87. Harden also has a history of big games against the Warriors. He scored 36 points with 13 assists in a 17-point win earlier this season, and had 44 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds in a thriller at Oracle Arena in January.

Westbrook has also been known to go off against the Warriors, and he'll be visiting the Bay Area as a Rocket for the first time. After a rocky start, Westbrook is starting to look more comfortable in the Rockets system, and comes in playing his best basketball since joining Houston.

Warriors: Injuries to Curry and Klay Thompson, along with the departure of Kevin Durant, have opened up opportunities for lesser-known players to emerge. Villanova product Eric Paschall is third among rookies in scoring this season, while Alec Burks is averaging a career-high in scoring given the extra playing time. Green and Russell have been in and out of the lineup, but they're the unquestioned Golden State leaders when they're on the court. Russell is first on the team in both scoring and assists in his first season as a Warrior.

Game prediction, pick

While this may not be the matchup it once was (or will be in the future), it's still worth tuning in on Christmas Day to see some of the league's most dynamic players in what should be a relatively competitive game. The Rockets have a tendency to let inferior teams hang around, or let them back into games after building a big lead, so this one could be closer than you might expect. That being said, Golden State has had trouble closing games all season, so eventually, the Rockets will pull away and end up covering the spread. Pick: Rockets -11