It is one thing to have your birthday party with a couple of close friends and family members. It is another to be with 15,834 screaming fans in one place.

On Wednesday, December 8th, rookie guard Josh Christopher celebrated his 20th birthday by putting on an impressive show in the Houston Rockets 114-104 win over the Brooklyn Nets. The victory extends the Rockets' winning streak to a league-best seven games.

"I have had a lot of great birthdays, but I don't think anything compares to this one thus far," said an exhilarated Christopher during his postgame press conference.

Christopher, who spent one year at Arizona State before being drafted by the Houston Rockets with the 24th pick in the 2021 NBA draft, got an opportunity to defend Nets superstar James Harden, another famous ASU shooting guard who also wore #13 for the Sun Devils.

"Being on the floor with him is amazing, obviously," Christopher said. "I got the blessing to wear his number at Arizona State. Now, I got the opportunity to compete with him. But just knowing our team is on a streak and wanting to continue to do that, just doing whatever it takes to win the ballgame."

Houston came into the game depleted at the ball-handling position with Kevin Porter Jr. (thigh), Jalen Green (hamstring), and Danuel House Jr. (ankle) recovering from injury. Rockets head coach Stephen Silas knew that he would have to call upon Christopher very early and that he would be ready to play.

"It was great," coach Silas said when asked about the contribution of Christopher. "He has been working on his game day in and day out. There were times he probably didn't think he was going to get a chance, and this league is like that. You are always going to get your chance; you have to be ready for it."

Ready may be an understatement when talking about Christopher's career night in front of a star-filled arena. He finished the night by making all seven shots and scoring 18 points in 23 minutes of action. His most significant impact came when he was inserted into the second quarter and hit three consecutive 3-pointers to help increase the Rockets' lead over the Nets.

Those shots, along with his finishes at the rim, are the improvement coach Silas wanted to see Christopher make when he sent him to the G-League last month to get more time on the court.

"I'd like him to be a combo (guard) where he can handle it or play off the ball," coach Silas said. "Tonight, he had the opportunity to play off the ball and catch-and-shoot, which is something we're going to need from him."

Houston will look to extend their winning streak to eight games on Friday, December 10th when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks, who won the NBA Championship last season.