NBA 2018 Prediction: Will The Golden State Warriors Or Houston Rockets Finish With The West's Best Record?

The Houston Rockets (49-13) and Golden State Warriors (49-14) may be in for an interesting battle for the top seed in the Western Conference with the Rockets riding a 15-game winning streak and owning just a half-game lead on the defending champions.

According to online betting site Vegas Insider, the Warriors have 5/12 odds of winning the West, while the Rockets are listed at 11/4. But those odds can quickly shift. With home-court advantage on the line for a possible conference-finals clash, both teams are expected to make a serious push for the final 20 games.

The importance of home-court advantage isn't lost on Warriors' shooting guard Klay Thompson.

“We’re really trying to win every game going into the playoffs. And it might be unrealistic, but it’d be nice to do that,” Thompson told reporters Wednesday. “We’re right on Houston’s heels. We got a very tight race right now. So we got to try to take the lead."

There isn't a clear advantage in the two-team race. Both teams have 10 games at home, though the Rockets have 10 road games remaining and the Warriors have nine away games.

Houston, however, has the momentum. Mike D'Antoni's squad is riding a big winning streak and on the heels of Saturday's come-from-behind victory over the Boston Celtics, 123-120.

The Warriors have the experience. The last time the Warriors failed to finish with the best record in the West was in 2013-14. Last season, the Warriors won 15 of their last 16 games.

But head coach Steve Kerr might have some concerns about fatigue. The Warriors, who view anything other than an NBA title as a failure, may not be able to afford Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Thompson to enter the playoffs exhausted from the regular season or plagued by minor ailments. Against the lowly Atlanta Hawks, Green played 37 minutes, Thompson played 36 and Durant played 35. It also doesn't help that Curry has been battling ankle problems.

The Rockets have some tough games coming up. Houston's winning streak will be tested in road games against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors. The Rockets will also have back-to-back road games against the New Orleans Pelicans and Minnesota Timberwolves. The schedule also calls for two games against the San Antonio Spurs.

But a key factor might be James Harden, who is seeking his first MVP award. The star guard has looked like the frontrunner for the honor, but should the Rockets falter, Harden might find himself once again behind LeBron James or Curry in MVP voting. Expect Harden, who leads the league in scoring and is third in assists, to not slow down in the final five weeks.

While Harden will have plenty of motivation, so should the rest of the roster. The Warriors have often looked unstoppable over the past few years, and securing home-court advantage might be the Rockets' only real chance to upset the champs.

The Rockets also won the three-game head-to-head series with the Warriors, 2-1.

The ever-so-slight edge should belong to the Rockets.