Rockets Battle Cavs in Matchup of Hot Teams
Heated Surprises. Absent Gordon. Knocking on Wood.
Houston closes their three-game road trip with a visit to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers on Wednesday night. Both teams are two of the hottest teams in the league at the moment. The Rockets and Cavs are both 8-2 in their last ten games. Houston is coming off their most impressive outing, a 19-point comeback win over the Hawks in Atlanta. Cleveland is riding a four-game winning streak, plus their only losses over the past ten games are to the Bucks and Jazz, two Finals contenders. The Cavs have been the biggest surprise of the entire NBA this season. No one expected Cleveland to be competitive this year, yet the Cavs stand in fourth place in the East at this point, with a 17-12 record. Their rookie, Evan Mobley, the third pick in the draft, is currently the front-runner for Rookie of the Year. Mobley was chosen one spot after Houston picked Jalen Green at second. Green is still out tonight for the Rockets, although recent reports indicate he’s making progress, and shouldn’t be out too much longer. Before going down, Green was averaging 14 points a game, and starting to show signs of consistency after an up-and-down start to his NBA career. Mobley, on the other hand, has only missed 4 games for Cleveland, and is averaging 13.8 points and 8.3 rebounds a night. Besides Mobley, the Cavs have six other players averaging double-figures in scoring.
Cleveland’s guard Darius Garland is their best overall player, and having a breakout season. Collin Sexton, previously thought to be the face of the Cavs’ future, suffered a season-ending injury earlier this year. His absence opened the door for more touches for Garland, and he’s one of the main reasons the Cavs are surprising teams across the league. Jarret Allen is also having a monster year in the ‘Land. Cleveland’s center will pose plenty of problems for Houston in the paint. Allen is averaging 17.3 points and 11.1 rebound per game, both career-highs. Kevin Love is also having a renaissance of sorts in Cleveland. The former All-Star is coming off the bench for the Cavs, but he’s still producing in limited minutes, especially recently. Love led Cleveland with 23 points in their last game, a win over the Miami Heat. Love, along with Cedi Osman are the Cavs two biggest shooting threats on the perimeter. The Rockets can’t afford to leave either of them open, or Cleveland’s longest tenured-duo will make Houston pay.
After coming off of his best game of the season, Eric Gordon will miss tonight’s contest with a groin injury. The Rockets will need everyone to step up, as has been the case during what’s turning into an injury-plagued Houston roster. Christian Wood is questionable as well for Houston. And the squad is still missing Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., and Danuel House Jr. If Wood is unable to go, expect Daniel Theis and Alperen Sengun to get heavy minutes.Instead of a Green/Mobley showdown, another Houston rookie might square off against Mobley in the post. With more playing time and each passing game, Sengun is improving and showing he’s likely the steal of the most recent draft, with the Rockets snagging him at the 16th spot. Sengun might have his bets chance yet to out on a show in big minutes tonight in Cleveland. Allen and Mobley pose challenging obstacles, but Sengun impressed the Greek Freak the other night… Al-P isn’t afraid to attack anyone. Hopefully, Christian Wood can go tonight for Houston, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Houston plays it cautious with Wood. Tonight is the first half of a back-to-back for the Rockets, who travel home tomorrow to host the Knicks. But before they return to Houston… these Rockets just might have another road-shocker for the NBA’s most-surprising team.
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse: Cleveland, Ohio
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (9-18): Red
Cleveland Cavaliers (17-12): White
Tip: 6 PM CT
TV: AT&T Sportsnet SW, NBA League Pass