Reed Sheppard hopes for continued spark as Rockets visit Sixers

Reed Sheppard isn't the best player on the Houston Rockets, but right now he just might be their most important.

Sheppard aims to continue his strong play of late when the Rockets visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.

This is the first game of a brief two-game road trip for Houston, which will visit Detroit on Friday before heading back to Southeast Texas. The Rockets reached the midpoint of their season Tuesday with a 111-106 home victory over the San Antonio Spurs, which brought their 41-game record to 26-15.