Rockets Visit Hornets in First of Road Back-to-Back
Quick Trip. New-Look Bees. Erase the Sting.
The Rockets head East for a two-game road-trip that starts in Charlotte, as they battle the Hornets for the second time this season on Friday night. Houston is coming off their worst loss of the season, and will try and erase the sting from Wednesday night’s defeat to Portland by gangrening a victory in Charlotte. This is the first of a back-to-back for the Rockets, who will travel to Brooklyn to face the Nets tomorrow night. Despite their dismal record of 10-32, the Hornets are 2-2 over their past four games. Houston’s first win of this season came in the first matchup between these teams, 128-119, back on November 1st.
These Hornets will have a slightly different look since the first time the Rockets faced them. Miles Bridges was suspended for the first matchup, but the swingman small forward has played extremely well since returning from a 25-game absence to start the season. And Charlotte recently dealt Terry Rozier to the Miami Heat for Kyle Lowry and a future first-round draft pick. Rozier scored 21 points in the first matchup in Houston, and he was averaging over 22 points a game with the Hornets before the trade. Regardless, the Rockets should be angry coming off their previous meltdown against the Blazers, and Houston should have enough firepower to beat the Hornets tonight.
LaMelo Ball recently returned from an injury, and is playing some of the best basketball of his career. Brandon Miller, the second overall pick in last year’s draft, is finally rounding into form and showing some consistency. Mile Bridges will be a handful. Nick Richards will be Alperen Sengun’s counterpart in the post. Richards had solidly filled in for the injured Mark Williams, but expect Sengun to cook Mr. Richards tonight in the post with some extra sauce. P.J. Washington is their sixth man, and is capable of scoring over 20 points on any given night. Charlotte has plenty of weapons, but Houston should enter this contest with added motivation. The Rockets are the better team, and while they didn’t prove it in their previous game, if they treat the Hornets with respect… expect Houston to regain their winning ways on Friday night.
Spectrum Center: Charlotte, North Carolina
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (20-23): White
Charlotte Hornets (10-32): Blue
Tip-Off: 6:00 PM CT
TV: Space City Home Network, NBA League Pass