Rockets Head to the Mountains, Battle Nuggets in Another Tough Test
Higher Challenge. Hunger Games. Run It Back.
“A little hope is effective, a lot of hope is dangerous,” Donald Sutherland says in The Hunger Games. After entering the season with little hope, and despite losing a heartbreaker on opening night, Houston has more hope for the rest of the season. Lacking three main rotation players (Wall, Cousin, and Gordon), the Rockets still fought valiantly, and would have won, if it wasn’t for C.J. McCollum, who couldn’t seem to miss. The hope lies in the debuts of new-Rockets Christian Wood and Ja’Sean Tate. Wood looked like an All-Star, scoring 31 points, and grabbing 13 boards in the opener. And in his NBA debut, Ja’Sean Tate brought a Patrick Beverly-level of energy to the squad that’s been lacking, well, since Beverly left. Tate also showed signs of stellar defense, and keen court awareness. Look for the rookie to be a starter for Houston soon.
Regardless of a sense of newfound hope this team may have found in their opener, tonight’s matchup in the Rockies is going to be a higher challenge. Both teams are starving for a win. Denver is 0-2, and considered by many to be one of the top three teams in the West. No doubt in mind Nuggets Head Coach Mike Malone will have his team hungry for a win, as Denver wants to avoid starting the season 0-3. The Rockets are also looking for their first win, and it will be tough in Denver’s altitude against the Nuggets, a slightly better team than the Blazers, who Houston faced in their opener. Malone knows Harden’s potency on the court. Denver’s coach once described trying to guard Harden akin to “watching a horror movie.” Every Rocket needs to step up tonight, as the Beard will be swarmed on defense.
Nevertheless, Houston the Rockets don’t want to drop their first two games. The more they lose, they harder it will be to convince James Harden to stay in Houston. The Rockets need to gut-out a tough victory tonight. If they play with the same energy, and the Beard puts on another show, Houston has a chance to steal a victory in Denver. Christian Wood will need help guarding Nikola Jokic, one of the best centers in the league. And hopefully Ja’Sean Tate and the Rockets rotating defenders can help slow Jamal Murray. Denver has health on their side tonight, and they’e had an extra day off. The Rockets will certainly show more signs of exhaustion, especially considering they don’t usually play in the altitude. However, the opener displayed how quickly doubts can be swayed. And no one thought Houston had a chance entering their first game in Portland, and they outplayed the Blazers for the majority of the match, and had it not been for McCollum having one of the games of his life, the Rockets would be 1-0 right now. So, ignore the 0-1 record. This Houston team is for real. The hope is real, that when they’re at full-strength, they can be superior amongst the elite, and convince Harden to stay. But for now, the Rockets are short-handed. And that means even more looks for the Beard. Which brings a lot of hope. And if Harden’s dazzling performance in the opener carries over tonight, the Nuggets are going to find themselves in a very precarious situation. Coach Malone already knows. He probably has the popcorn nearby, because tonight he’ll be watching that same horror movie, over and over. Don’t expect the altitude to slow the Beard down. The opener in Portland was just a warm-up. Tonight, Harden gets to show real promise of what’s in store for the future of this season. So, despite being short-handed and facing the altitude, Houston should still have plenty of hope Houston they can take down the Nuggets. Expect Harden to start his second game of this season with another statement. Nuggets fans… it’s about to get dangerous in Denver.
Ball Arena: Denver, Colorado
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (0-1): Black
Denver Nuggets (0-2): White
TV: 8 PM CT – AT&T Sportsnet SW