Rockets Set to Face Kings Twice in a Row, Host First Battle
Houston Home-and-Home. Elimination Time. Royal Push.
Get used to the Kings. Houston will be seeing a lot of Royal purple (or black) as they face the Kings twice in a row for their next 2 matchups. The Rockets host the Kings in a home-and-home, well sort of. Houston will travel to Sacramento and face off against the Kings on Tuesday after Saturday night’s match. The Kings return home to face the Spurs tomorrow before hosting the Rockets on Tuesday. Sacramento is young, but they have their sights set on vacation in under two weeks. Houston needs to pounce on the Kings early, and keep them in the pack-it-in mindset. The Rockets have their sights set on much larger things than summer vacation. They want to be the Kings. Just not the Kings of Sacramento, the Kings of the NBA.
Houston can officially eliminate Sacramento from playoff contention with a victory. The Kings have a bright future ahead of them, and that young talent will be on display at Toyota Center tonight. De’Aaron Fox is one of the most exciting players in the NBA to watch, and he will be an All-Star for years to come. Buddy Hield is beginning to flourish into a potential All-Star swingman. Willie Cauley-Stein is starting to live up to his potential, and Marvin Bagley III has shown signs of progress in his first season. The Kings can shoot is from deep, and play hard. There will be no easy victories for the Rockets in the next two games. Houston will to have to make it difficult on Sacramento, in order to make it easy on themselves.
If the Rockets can continue playing stellar defense, they shouldn’t have a problem getting the victory tonight. The Kings might give the Rockets a push towards focusing on every game in this final stretch. Houston has turned a corner defensively, and has been a different beast ever since. Gerald Green and Kenneth Faried remain out due to injuries. This means extended playing time for everyone else, especially Austin Rivers and Iman Shumpert. Their defensive tandem has pleased Coach Mike D’Antoni and provided excellent results since the latest injury bug hit the Rockets. Houston’s used to having guys get hit with injuries, only to see other players step up. It’s time to get used to the Rockets stellar defense. It’s here to stay.
Toyota Center: Houston, Texas
Jersey Colors:
Sacramento Kings (37-38): Black
Houston Rockets (48-28): White
TV: 5 PM CT – ATT Sportsnet SW