Houston Heads to Orlando for Part 1 of Back-to-Back
Looking for Space. Westbrook Drive. Step in the Journey.
On Friday night, the Rockets head to Florida to take on the Orlando Magic. It’s a rematch of the NBA Finals… from 1995. The last time Houston appeared on the league’s grandest stage. Tonight’s matchup doesn’t have the lore, nor importance of a Finals game. Nonetheless, it’s next up on the schedule, and James Harden and the crew have to take care of business. Orlando is currently 11-13, holding onto the 8th spot in the East. The Magic are another young squad this veteran Rocket team should handle on the road. Their best player, center Nikola Vucevic, is a game-time decision. Vooch has been out since November 20th with an injury. If he doesn’t play Orlando still has options to frustrate Houston. After getting off to a slow start, power forward Aaron Gordon is slowly coming around for the Magic, and could be a problem on the glass and in the paint for the Rockets if they’re lazy.
Orlando is coming off two close losses to the Bucks and Lakers. The two teams favored at this point to make the NBA Finals. If Houston wants to mentioned with those teams, they need to start winning these road teams against mid-tier competition. The Cavs were low tier competition, and the Rockets barely survived They should be able to win tonight, but Houston’s had problems letting bad teams hang around. On the other side, the Magic have played up to their competition and made their recent matchups against the NBA’s elite contested. Houston needs to be careful about playing around with this Magic team. As the Rockets looks to space themselves apart a bit in the standings, they need to beat teams like Orlando. These two squads are in different atmospheres when it comes to talent and experience. Hopefully, Houston rises to the occasion and prove this, but who knows. Orlando is closer than most NBA cities to Miami. The city that seems to suck the soul out of the Rockets ability to hoop.
If this season’s shown anything, it’s that Houston rarely wins games comfortably. Out of their 16 wins, only 6 came by double figures or more. And their latest victory in Cleveland was a perfect example. Another game in the win column, but by no means easy. Harden’s best game of the season fueled a Rockets comeback, after they went down by 11 points in the fourth quarter, for the squad to secure a win. Fortunately for Houston, Russell Westbrook has also been very impressive over his last three games. Brodie is averaging roughly 27 points, 8 assists, and 8 boards over the past trio of contests. Most importantly, his decision-making and shot choices are improving with each game. Westbrook has started to trend in the preferred direction of using his greatest strength: the ability to drive the ball with ferocity, to the basket. Instead of settling for threes around the perimeter, when Westbrook drives, he sets up a variety of options for himself and the team. More space is created for perimeter shooters. And Brodie can get to the basket at ease, whenever he wants. An drive Westbrook needs to continue rolling for Houston to inch up in the standings.
Austin Rivers missed the past two games with the same Rockets’ Flu that’s affected Clint Capela, Danuel House, and Tyson Chandler this season. Rivers is expected to be back in action tonight for the Rockets. Austin’s defense, shooting, and intangibles bring so much to Houston’s blueprint on both sides of the court. Tonight is the first of back-to-back for the Rockets, who return to Houston to face the Pistons on Saturday. It’s a sweepable back-to-back for Harden and company. These games are small steps in the ultimate journey, but they need to be taken seriously. Houston struggles to preserve big leads. As a result, the Rockets starters are playing way too many minutes, especially P.J. Tucker. It’s time for the entire squad to take a step back. Houston needs to realize the negative impact toying with the opposition has on their journey towards a championship. Getting back to the promise land is a process. The Rockets are working (too hard) through phase one of that process: the regular season. Friday night’s tilt in Orlando is another chance for Houston to take a step back in the right direction. It’s not the NBA Finals, but if the Rockets want to get back to the promise land, winning games like tonight makes for a smoother ride.
Amway Center: Orlando, Florida
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (16-8): “Classic” Red
Orlando Magic (11-13): White
TV: 6 PM CT – AT&T Sportsnet SW