Rockets Begin Road-Trip with a Double-Dip Versus the Kings
Sacramento Two-Step. Tough Tests Await. Embrace the Suck.
After a lengthy stay at home, the Rockets head on the road for a West-Coast trip, beginning with two matchups against the Kings. Sacramento is playing the best basketball the franchise has seen in at least a decade. The Kings currently hold the fifth spot in the West, and are led by point-guard De’Aaron Fox, and Center Domantas Sabonis, both All-Star-caliber players. Houston has a tough matchup in store for them, not only tonight, but on this entire road trip. They’ll place these same Kings, in the same jersey colors, at the same time and place on Friday night. It’s hard to beat the same team twice in a row, especially a young team with the playoffs in their sights. Afterwards, the Rockets head to L.A. for a tough back-to-back against the Clippers and Lakers. It won’t be easy, but Houston’s best chance for victory is likely one of these first two games in Sacramento.
If the Rockets can’t get a win on this road-trip they’re staring at an 11-game losing streak, which would tie them for the longest skids in the NBA this season with the San Antonio Spurs. If Houston wants any chance against an upstart Kings team, they’ll need to follow Tari Eason’s statements earlier this week. Eason said “embrace the suck… in times like these when things are difficult, just embrace the things you don’t want to do.” And that’s exactly what the Rockets need to start doing. By embracing “the suck”, Houston needs to play defense, they’ve become one of the worst if not the league’s worst defensive team. The Rockets also need to protect and move the ball on offense, as this team has become too isolation-happy on the perimeter, and it kills any momentum Houston gains as a team offensively. On defense, they simply need more effort. Get back on defense in transition, help out on the weak-side, it’s the basics, and fundamentals, which are destroying the Rockets defensively.
If Houston does one thing sort of well, it’s play the underdog card. They at least seem to be more competitive in games against better teams, so we’ll see if that continues tonight in Sac-Town. It’s the first of two in a row against the Kings, as these two squads will meet again in California’s capital on Friday night. Can the Rockets finally end the losing streak? They’ve got nothing to lose. Houston has firmly all but guaranteed themselves a spot in the Victor Wembanyama-sweepstakes, taking place this summer. The Rockets have been in it for a while, we all have, at least true fans of the team. What is it? As Tari Eason said, “the suck.” Houston’s been firmly stuck in “the suck” for the past thirteen games, as they’ve gone 1-12 in that span. It’s time the Rockets finally starts to play with an edge, and make smarter decisions over the span of a game. As weird as it sounds… it’s time to “embrace the suck.”
Golden 1 Center: Sacramento, California
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (10-30): White
Sacramento Kings (21-18): Black
Tip-Off: 9:00 PM CT
TV: AT&T Sportsnet SW, NBA League Pass