Rockets Sail into L.A. for Round 2 Against Archenemy Clippers
Act 2. Craving a 40-Burger. Beef Court.
Part 2 of the NBA’s beefiest rivalry begins Friday night, live from the center of the NBA universe, Los Angeles. The Rockets, coming off a loss in Denver where they were outplayed from start to finish, aim to rebound with an impressive win tonight. Round 2 presents the most difficult test Houston’s faced all season. The Clippers are riding a 3-game winning streak to start a 5-game homestand. L.A. got superstar Paul George back from injury to start the homestand, and are undefeated when he takes the court. The Rockets won the first matchup between these two heavyweights last week, 102-93, back in Houston. That match was the final game before PG13’s debut. George is off to a great start, averaging 28 points, and has a dominant presence on both ends of the floor as one of the game’s best defenders. James Harden and company need to play smart, and tough, if they’re going to grind out a win in part 2 of this epic series.
In this contest, Houston is going to need some sort of extra energy spark. Danuel House suffered a shoulder injury in Wednesday’s loss, and won’t be playing for the Rockets tonight. The injury isn’t expected to be serious, House is expected back Sunday, but his absence will be felt against one of the best teams in the NBA. The Rocket can do plenty of damage alone with the Beard and Brodie. Clint Capela’s the hottest big man in basketball. Capela’s grabbed 20 or more rebounds in 5 straight games, all after returning from a concussion that sidelined him for two games. Houston needs their big man to continue to feast on the glass, like it’s his own personal Thanksgiving dinner, if the Rockets are going to escape L.A. with a victory. Houston enters this game 7-0 when James Harden scores 40 points, and 4-4 when he doesn’t. The Rockets better hope the Beard is craving a 40-Burger tonight, without a dominant performance from Harden, the fully-loaded Clips will be a tough-out.
This rivalry presented plenty of beef in Round 1. Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverly continued their ongoing feud, with Brodie saying after the first game that Bev doesn’t play defense. Clippers Coach Doc Rivers famously got ejected with his son, Houston’s Austin Rivers in the middle of all the drama. Austin waved goodbye and motioning for Doc to “call him” after the game. Expect former Rockets, Lou Williams, Patrick Beverly, and especially Montrezl Harrell, who was quiet last week, to be impact-makers for L.A. Round 2 of the league’s beefiest rivalry continues tonight under the bright lights of Staples Center in Los Angeles. Undermanned, Houston just might need a little extra beef, in the form of a Bearded 40-Burger, to escape L.A. alive.
Staples Center: Los Angeles, California
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (11-4): Classic Red
Los Angeles Clippers (10-5): White
TV: 9:30 PM CT – ESPN