(Sports Network) - Southwest Division rivals battle tonight, as the Dallas Mavericks welcome the scorching Houston Rockets to American Airlines Center.

The Rockets are currently the hottest team in the NBA. Tracy McGrady scored 25 points as the Rockets set a franchise record with their 16th straight win by blowing out the Indiana Pacers, 117-99, on Wednesday at the Toyota Center.

Rafer Alston added 21 points and seven assists for Houston, which continued to thrive despite losing All-Star center Yao Ming for the season. The Rockets are 4-0 since Yao was sidelined because of a stress fracture in his left foot.

Luther Head ended with 14 points, while Carl Landry and Luis Scola both netted 13 in the win for the Rockets, who have won 20 of their last 21 games overall. Chuck Hayes scored nine points to go along with 11 rebounds for the Rockets, who have also won 11 in a row at home. Houston has also won seven consecutive games by a double-digit margin.

Houston, which has won 10 in a row as the visitor, is 18-11 on the road this season. The Rockets return home to host the New Orleans Hornets on Saturday and the New Jersey Nets on Monday at the Toyota Center.

The Rockets are in third place in the Southwest, just 2 1/2 games behind the division-leading San Antonio Spurs. The Mavericks are in fourth place and trail San Antonio by four games.

Dallas has won 12 in a row at home. Its last loss at American Airlines Center was an 88-81 setback on December 27 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Mavericks open a five-game homestand tonight, and will attempt to put the brakes on a two-game losing streak. On Monday, Deron Williams had 17 points and tied a season-high with 20 assists as the Utah Jazz earned a 116-110 victory over Dallas at EnergySolutions Arena.

Josh Howard ended with 25 points in the loss for Dallas, while reigning MVP Dirk Nowitzki scored 23 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Jason Terry netted 21 points and Jason Kidd had 19 points and nine assists in defeat. The Mavs are 4-4 with Kidd in the lineup.

The Mavericks will be without Nowitzki against Houston. The All-Star forward was suspended on Wednesday for one game after his Flagrant Foul, Penalty One against Utah's Andrei Kirilenko was upgraded to a Flagrant Foul, Penalty Two. The incident occurred in the first quarter of Monday's loss.

Dallas is an impressive 25-3 at home this season. The Mavericks will also host New Jersey, New York, Charlotte and Indiana on the current homestand.

This is the fourth and final meeting of the regular season between the clubs. Dallas is 3-0 and has won six straight overall in the series.

Houston has lost five straight and 10 of its last 11 at Dallas.