Rockets vs. Cavaliers Pre-Game 12/18/23

Rockets Aim to Get Back on Winning Track, Face Cavaliers

Fighting Human Nature.    Seize the Opportunity.    End of the Road.

The Rockets don’t have to wait long to wash their previous loss to the Bucks away, as they travel to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers on Monday night. It’s the second half of a back-to-back for Houston, and their third game in four nights. They’re in midst of a busy stretch with a lot of games on the schedule this month. The squad may be fighting tired legs and human nature tonight, but this Cavs team will not pose the mighty challenge Milwaukee gave the Rockets last night. Compared to the Bucks, Cleveland are not as good of a team overall. Currently, they have a record of 14-12, which puts them eight currently in the Eastern Conference. The Cavs will likely make they playoffs, but they’re not a true title contender like the Bucks.

Fortunately for Houston, the Cavaliers are missing some key pieces due to injury tonight. Darius Garland and Evan Mobley are expected to miss multiple weeks with their injuries. Both players are key pieces for this Cavs team. However, the Rockets still need to get off to a faster start. This Cleveland team still has the best player on the court tonight in Donovan Mitchell, who scored 70 points in a game once. Jarrett Allen will make his presence felt in the paint. Houston needs to match the Cavs’ physicality, and pray the refs don’t screw them with the whistle on so many calls like they did last night. So, this Cavs squad still has plenty of firepower to beat the Rockets, and they’re playing at home with more rest. Regardless, Houston has the more talented team, and should be able to at least make this a close game.

This is the second-to-last road game in 2023 for the Rockets. They’ll play in new Orleans next Saturday night, but other than that, after this matchups with the Cavs, Houston is homebound for a while. Houston plays nine of their next ten games at home after tonight’s tilt in Cleveland. That include another seven-game home-stand which begins on Boxing Day. The Rockets have been stellar at Toyota Center, with a record of 11-1, the best home record in the entire Western Conference. They’re struggles on the road have been well documented, as the team currently sits at 2-9 away from Toyota Center on the season. Now, most of these games have been against top-tier competition. They’ve already played in Denver twice, LA three times, once in Dallas, and last night in Milwaukee, just to mention a few of their tough early road challenges. They’ve had one of the toughest schedules, particularly on the road, to start the season. However, tonight’s matchup isn’t on that tier of difficulty. If the Rockets lose this game against the Cavs, it’ll be because Houston beat themselves. This young Rockets should have enough energy to pull out a victory in Cleveland tonight. They’ll need to get off to a fast start, they cannot wait around for a long time to become interest in the contest. Houston did a great job hanging with the Bucks last night, in the end, Milwaukee showed why they’re a legit title contender, and had monster performances from their superstar duo. Expect Rockets coach Ime Udoke to have his team fired up after they were basically beat by two players the officials last night. As they they aim to bounce back tonight, this young Rockets squad should have enough energy to pull out a victory in Cleveland.

 

Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse:  Cleveland, Ohio

 

Jersey Colors:

Houston Rockets (13-10):  Black

Cleveland Cavaliers (14-12):  White

 

Tip-Off:  6:00 PM CT

TV:  Space City Home Network,  NBA League Pass