Jeremy Lin News: Is the Houston Rocket a Target Because of His Race?
Jeremy Lin (R) signed a three-year $25 million offer sheet with Houston during the offseason. Reuters

Jeremy Lin and the Houston Rockets will look to continue their hot streak as they host the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday night.

The Rockets have won eight out of their last 11, and moved into sixth place in the Western Conference. Houston will try to improve to 18-14 against the 7-24 Hornets at 8 p.m. ET. You can watch a live stream online by purchasing NBA League Pass Broadband.

Houston’s improvement towards the end of 2012 can be directly correlated with Lin’s play. Starting with his return to Madison Square Garden, Lin has started to gel with his new teammates. He’s averaging 15.9 points and 7.6 assists per game in his last eight.

The biggest reason for Lin’s turnaround has been his ability to share the ball with James Harden. Houston’s leading scorer is coexisting better with Lin on the court. Also, head coach Kevin McHale has made sure to keep one of them on the bench, when he can.

New Orleans will be healthy for one of the few times this season. Shooting guard Eric Gordon returned over the weekend, after missing 29 games with a knee injury. He hasn’t shaken off the rust of missing most of the season, going 5-for-17 in the Rockets loss on Tuesday night to the Atlanta Hawks.

Anthony Davis missed 11 straight games in late November and early December, but has played like a Rookie of the Year candidate when healthy. He’s putting up 14.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game in his first season.

Betting Line: Houston-9.5, 203

Prediction: Houston 111, New Orleans 104