Rockets Make First Visit to Intuit Dome, Face Clippers to End Road Trip
Negative Streaking. The Wall. Missing Eason.
For the first time all season, the Rockets are moving in the wrong direction. Houston has lost two games in a row, after managing to plow through the first 22 games of the schedule without dropping two straight. And on Sunday night, the Rockets are in danger of continuing their negative streaking, as they visit the Clippers in their brand new arena, Intuit Dome. Tonight’s tilt is the end of a three game West Coast road trip for Houston, who is 0-2 so far on the trip. This game marks the third matchup against the Clippers for the Rockets. Houston is 2-0 against the Clips this season after beating them in consecutive games at Toyota Center earlier this season.
Since those early matchups, L.A. has shown real improvement. The Clippers are 8-3 since losing to the Rockets. And they’re 9-5 at home, as opposed to 5-5 on the road. Their new arena features a section called “The Wall,” which is designated for hardcore Clippers fans only. It’s basically if they let the Red Rowdies sit closer to the court and directly behind the basket, instead of farther up and out of player view sight. The Wall is located directly behind one of the baskets, and brings an atmosphere that resembles something more like college basketball. The new amenity, and first of its kind in the NBA, has already frustrated opponents. It’ll be intriguing to see how this Houston squad handles The Wall. The Rockets are desperately trying to snag a win on this road trip before returning home for a huge NBA Cup Quarterfinal game against the Warriors.
Tari Eason remains out for Houston, which is bad news. The Rockets spiraled downward after Eason’s season-ending injury early last season. And the effects of Eason’s absence have already been felt in only one game so far this year. Hopefully Head Coach Ime Udoka has his players fired up. Houston can’t play with any less energy than they displayed in their Bay Area loss on Thursday night. In other bad news, the Clippers are coming off a beatdown at home courtesy of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Expect L.A. to play much tougher and sharper tonight against the Rockets. And in other bad news, James Harden scored only 5 points in the Clips’ previous loss. The Beard will likely be licking his chops to have a go-round at his former team in his house. Normal Powell has been playing at an All-Star level for the Clippers, and his status for this matchup remains a game-time decision, one that will have a huge impact on tonight’s contest. Can the Rockets escape the Golden State with their first win in California this season? Find out tonight as Houston wraps up their first west coast road trip of the season.
Intuit Dome: Los Angeles, California
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (15-8): Red
Los Angeles Clippers (14-10): White
Tip-Off: 8:00 PM CT
TV: Space City Home Network, NBA League Pass