Rockets Try and Close Road Trip with a Victory in Season’s First Texas Battle
Now officially ten games into the season, no one expected the Rockets would be below .500, with 4-6 record. We all know the excuses. Injuries. New players. A hangover from winning a franchise-record 65 games last season. There are no more excuses for these Houston Rockets. And, as of a few hours ago, Jimmy Butler’s not coming to spur Houston to the necessary motivation and intensity that he brings when he steps on the court. Houston’s most sought after player in the trade market (and really the key piece the team needed) is now a Philadelphia 76er. The Rockets need to accept the fact that they need to play better as a cohesive unit if they want to be the competitive force they were from beginning to end last season. James Harden will try and out-perform Spurs newcomer and All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan in a matchup between two Texas teams coming off losses. The Spurs, losers of two straight, are certainly going to be prepared as ever for this game. Coach Pop tore into the team after their loss to Miami, and the best coach in the NBA rarely ever loses 3 games in a row. The Rockets hope Chris Paul will bounce back from a less-than-stellar effort, and need to see Clint Capela out-duel Spurs All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge in the battle for the boards in the post. Carmelo Anthony is out for tonight’s game due to an illness. It would be nice to see James Ennis get a decent chunk of playing time but the man can’t stay out of foul trouble to save his life. Due to Anthony’s absence, tonight is Ennis’ perfect opportunity to play plenty of minutes if he can avoid fouls, which will be difficult as he will be tasked with defending San Antonio’s best player, lethal scoring swingman DeMar DeRozan (who’s off to a great start to the season playing with a chip on his shoulder). If the Rockets can contain DeRozan and Aldridge, they have a great chance at closing their road trip on a victorious note. Although, if the Rockets hustle game isn’t at peak level, they will have a tough time trying to gut out a victory over a hungry Spurs team that is primed to bounce back from losing their previous two games. Everyone on Houston’s roster needs to play with “PJ” level hustle (meaning everyone hustles with the effort of PJ Tucker, the NBA’s best at that intangible). If the Rockets can win the effort battle, play smart, and communicate together on the defensive end of the floor, they’ll have a fighter’s chance to win tonight in the Alamo City. It sure won’t be easy. Look for this to be one of the best all around games so far from both teams. Expect a close, tough-fought battle from two of the West’s best. Hopefully, the Rockets have just enough ammo to overpower the Spurs.
AT&T Center – San Antonio, Texas
7:30 PM CT – NBA TV, ATT Sportsnet