Rockets Aim for Third Straight Win, Welcome Thunder
First of Two. Opposite Directions. Upper Edge.
After going winless for an entire month, the Houston Rockets are now riding a two-game winning streak, seemingly out of nowhere. On Monday night, they host the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first of a two-game set between these rivals that will determine the season series. The final matchup is Wednesday night in Oklahoma City. But first, Houston looks to close out their three-game home-stand with perfection, by beating the Thunder once again. The Rockets won the first matchup, 124-91, on October 24th in Houston’s home opener. OKC took the second game at home, 101-89, back on November 17th. Now, with the series tied at one apiece, both squads will look to gain the upper edge tonight.
A lot has changed since the last time these two teams clashed. The Rockets and Thunder are moving in opposite directions. Houston not only ended their losing streak, but switched gears, and are now riding a two-game winning streak. And the last time the Rockets and Thunder met, was also the last time OKC won a game. The Thunder find themselves sliding in the wrong direction, and will try and break out of a 5-game losing streak tonight. Houston hopes to keep their momentum going, and build on their winning streak, and recent success at home. This closes out a three-game home-stand for the Rockets, and a win tonight would make them a perfect 3-0 over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Jalen Green remains out for Houston with a left hamstring injury. Kevin Porter Jr. has flourished, along with the bench, during this brief winning streak. The Rockets will need KPJ and a solid all-around team effort if they want to take the upper edge in this series tonight.
Houston will also rely heavily on Christian Wood, who is arguably the Rockets best player right now. Wood is averaging a double-double this season, registering 16.4 points and 11.3 rebounds a contest. The scary part for the Rockets is that news circled this afternoon that Houston will be “entertaining” trade offers for Wood. Hopefully, this doesn’t affect his play on the court. It should only motivate Wood to play harder and stronger. One can only pray the Rockets don’t trade away Wood. The idea is to get more minutes for Alperen Sengun, who looks to be Houston’s big-man of the future. Sengun’s numbers-per-minute are off the charts for a 19-year old rookie. I think the two play great alongside each other, and there’s no need to rush into trading away their best player at the moment. Wood has even complemented Sengun’s passing ability and court-awareness several times. Obviously the absence of Daniel Theis, combined with the increased minutes for Sengun over the last two games aren’t to be dismissed as factoring into Houston’s winning streak. We’ll see what direction Coach Stephen Silas opts to head in tonight, as Sengun only saw five minutes of action in the Rockets’ last meeting with the Thunder.
Regardless, this is a game Houston is more than capable of winning tonight. The Rockets have already beaten this Thunder team at home, granted it was over a month ago. Still, Houston is riding a wave of momentum, and the team’s shown tremendous growth over their past two resilient victories. The group’s bonded and moved towards playing as a team on the court. Expect a close game tonight, but the Rockets should keep riding their winning streak, especially if they continue playing with a “sense” of togetherness.
Toyota Center: Houston, Texas
Jersey Colors:
Oklahoma City Thunder (6-13): White
Houston Rockets (3-16): Black
TV: 7 PM CT – AT&T Sportsnet SW, NBA League Pass