Reed Sheppard turned on the jets against the Golden State Warriors, helping the Houston Rockets negate Stephen Curry in their NBA Cup tie.

Houston has constantly been Golden State's playoff punching bag. The Rockets are looking for revenge after last season's series.

With 35.2 seconds remaining in regulation and the Warriors trailing by five points, Curry exited the ballgame and walked gingerly back to the locker room. Due in part to the injury, Curry finished with 14 points on 4-of-13 shooting with a season-high six turnovers.

The Rockets’ early success comes with warning signs that could impact their long-term championship hopes in 2025-26.

The Rockets play Curry tougher than any team in the NBA. Not only do they guard him with great on-ball defenders in Amen Thompson and Josh Okogie, but they also blitz many of the pick-and-rolls when he's the ball-handler.

Alperen Şengün had one of the most unique free-throw routines in the NBA when he whispered to the basketball. He decided to scrap it though and is seeing results.

The Denver Nuggets (11-3) and Houston Rockets (10-3) are set to face off in an NBA Cup showdown Friday. Tip-off from Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, is set for 9:30 p.m. ET (Prime Video). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's NBA odds around the Nuggets vs. Rockets odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions for the best bets.

Credit to them,” Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson says of the Rockets (10-3), who won by double digits in Cleveland. “Heck of a team. Contender.”

Both the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors may be without multiple key players in Wednesday night's matchup.