Rockets Make Brief Home Stop to Host Nets
Middle Home Stop. New York Triage. All-Star Questions.
Amidst this road-heavy stretch of the schedule for Houston, the Rockets return home to host the reeling Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night. This matchup at Toyota Center is pitted in between to lengthy road trips for Houston. After tonight’s game, the Rockets will head back on the road for another four game trip. Houston is coming off a tough one point loss, 120-119, to the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night. The squad was still able to go an impressive 3-1 against elite competition (excluding the Atlanta Hawks). The Rockets aim to bounce back against a much weaker Nets team back at home.
Brooklyn won it’s last game, over lowly Charlotte Hornets. However before that win, the Nets had lost twelve of their previous thirteen games. Brooklyn is certainly not playoff bound. Their best player is De’Angelo Russell, and they don’t have much to offer talent-wise. Houston should win this game in blowout fashion. Especially with a four game road trip on the horizon. Tonight’s game is also the first of three straight against New York area teams. Houston’s first two games on their upcoming road trip are against the Knicks and then these same Nets.
Newly-minted All-Star Alperen Sengun didn’t play in Thursday’s loss in Memphis. It’s the first game he’s missed all season long for Houston, and he’s in jeopardy of missing tonight’s contest as well with a calf injury. Jalen Green should feel snubbed he wasn’t named an All-Star. Can Green, Amen Thompson, and others step up to fill Sengun’s void? They should be able to take care of a bad Brooklyn team as long as they say focused, and treat the Nets like a top-tier caliber opponent. Ben Simmons comes off the bench now for Brooklyn, and for some reason, tonight feels like game where he might be a factor.
Head Coach Ime Udoka’s done a fantastic job all season, and he should have the Rockets ready to return to the winning track on Saturday night. Tonight is the easiest victory availble for the Rockets before the All-Star break, and they need to take advanatge of a very winnable contest. It’s a brief home stop for Houston… expect the Rockets to care of business against these inferior Nets before the going gets tougher on the road again.
Toyota Center: Houston, Texas
Jersey Colors:
Brooklyn Nets (15-33): White
Houston Rockets (32-15): Black
Tip-Off: 7:00PM CT
TV: Space City Home Network, NBA League Pass