Rockets Return Home, Face Hornets, Go For 9 Wins in a Row
Home Cookin’. Fun Meters. Not Too Far.
The Rockets are buzzing and having fun again. Coming off their 8th straight win, a grind-out defensive victory over Dallas, Houston returns home for their next 4 games. On Monday night, the Rockets host the Charlotte Hornets. Houston hasn’t lost at home since February 9th, when they gave up a 26-point lead to the Thunder. The Rockets have a great chance to keep moving up the standings. They’re only 4 games out of the 1-seed, Golden State, who they play on Wednesday. The Rockets are only 3 games behind the second seed, Denver, who they play in a few weeks in Houston. This is the third game in 4 nights for the Rockets. If the squad can fight tired legs, they should be able to pull out the victory over an inferior Hornets-squad. Charlotte has lost 8 of 11, but still remain only a game out of the eighth seed in the East. Starting tonight, Houston has an opportunity to cook some more wins together during this home-stretch portion of the schedule.
A lot of factors can measure how well a team is playing. One of the key factors for Houston is the vastly important Eric Gordon Fun Meter. Earlier in the season when Houston was struggling Gordon said, “I’m just not having fun anymore.” Oh, how things can change throughout an NBA season. Gordon got off to a slow start to the campaign. However, Mike D’Antoni tinkered with the lineup, and EG’s efficiency has risen since being swapped into the starting group. Gordon is currently playing his best ball of the season. His shooting is a major reason the Rockets currently own the NBA’s longest winning streak. And why, EG, and the Rockets, are having plenty of fun nights. When Splash Gordon’s having fun making it rain from deep, Houston’s nearly impossible to beat. Gordon is the third guy besides Harden and Paul, who can create his own shot, and for others, offensively. EG also is one of the most underrated players defensively in the entire league. Night-in and night-out he can be seen overcoming defensive challenges. When the rest of the squad is playing defense like Gordon, Tucker, and Paul, the Rockets are a scary team to try and beat.
Houston can’t overlook the Hornets. We all know who waits on the horizon. The Warriors. Houston’s final regular-season matchup against Golden State is on Wednesday. They can’t look too far ahead. The Rockets need to focus on Monday night, and a Charlotte team coming in that has the talent to be a threat to Houston. First-time All-Star, Kemba Walker, one the most underrated players in the league, can have explosive nights offensively. The Hornets play hard, and if Houston comes out lacking focus, the Rockets’ winning streak may come to an unfortunate end, against another inferior opponent. It’s been two and half weeks since Houston last lost. The Rockets can’t afford to fall to any more teams they’re expected to beat. Houston should be able to muster up enough energy to quiet Charlotte’s buzz, and push the winning-streak to 9 games. As long as they find Eric Gordon on offense, it should be a fun night.
Toyota Center: Houston, Texas
Jersey Colors:
Charlotte Hornets (30-36): Black
Houston Rockets (41-25): Red
TV: 7 PM CT – NBA TV, AT&T Sportsnet SW