Harden, Rockets, Try to Bounce Back Against Pacers
“Warren”ting a Look. Splash Gordon Returns. Sneaky Indy.
James Harden returns as the Rockets battle the Pacers in their penultimate game of the regular season. Houston is coming off a beatdown from the Spurs that essentially put the Rockets out of reach for Denver and the three seed out West. On Wednesday afternoon, the second of a back-to-back for the Houston, the squad will get a look a sneaky Pacers team whose right in the thick of the playoff race out East. Oh, and they have arguably the MVP of bubble action so far, T.J. Warren. T.J.’s been absolutely on a tear, and trails only Harden in scoring during the seeding games. Russell Westbrook is resting for the Rockets, and Indy needs this game more, so don;’t be surprised if Houston drops another game in the loss column. It won’t mean anything.
What is meaningful is the return of Eric Gordon. EG’s been out with an ankle sprain, and the Rockets will desperately need him to be that third scoring option when defenses target Harden and Russ. Splash Gordon needs to use this game to start to find his rhythm before the playoffs start. Look for Benny Mac to get more looks with Harden back in the lineup, but unless the Rockets are on fire from deep, this contest is gonna be a tough.
The Pacers are one of the sneakiest teams in the league. They missed their best player, Victor Oladipo, for the entire season. But, with the coronavirus shutting sports down for months, Oladipo was able to rehab in time and recover to get back on the court. The Pacers are as threat as any team to come out of the wide-open Eastern Conference. It’s the penultimate game in the regular season for the good guys in red… let’s see if Houston can knock off one more game in the loss column for Indy.
AdventHealth Arena, NBA Bubble: Orlando, Florida
Jersey Colors:
Indiana Pacers (43-28): Navy Blue
Houston Rockets (44-26): “Classic” Red
TV: 3 PM CT – NBA TV, AT&T Sportsnet SW