Rockets Visit D.C., Take on Wizards to Begin Road Trip
Keeping Pace. Rocket Luck. Role Models Next Door.
A champion will be crowned tonight. Houston travels to D.C. to start their four-game road trip. It’s the squad’s first foray into foreign territory of the season, as they battle the Wizards. The world will be watching as Houston and Washington battle for sports supremacy. It just won’t be this battle. Both cities’ respective baseball teams (Astros and Nationals) face off in Game 7 of the World Series for the ultimate prize: a championship. I’m hoping the Rockets can bring some sort of bad juju into Washington D.C. Somehow curse the Nationals from afar, giving the Astros good luck. It’s Houston’s first road game of the season, as the Rockets attempt to get their third straight victory.
The Beard and Brodie Bunch will try to keep their breakneck pace they built up in Houston to begin the season. The Rockets own the league’s second fastest pace this year, so far. On Wednesday, they battle a Wizards team that is on the cusp of rebuilding, or already is, depending on who you ask. D.C.’s best player, John Wall is expected to miss most of the season with an injury. Bradley Beal, their other All-Star, doesn’t have enough pieces around him to get it done in the NBA, with a group of raw, up-and-coming players. Houston looks to feast on Washington tonight, as the new-look Rockets should be too much talent for this young Wizards crew. Houston needs to attack the glass, and focus on improving their rebounding against the Wizards tonight. Washington boasts several young, raw bigs, who can give the Rockets fits on the glass. Tonight presents a perfect game for the Beard to find his shooting rhythm. Harden has struggled mightily from the field to start the year. Lucky for the Beard, the Wizards pose no threats on the perimeter defensively. Look for Harden to have his best shooting night of the young season, and the Rockets should finally win a game by more than 4 points. Maybe, the mere presence of James Harden and Russell Westbrook in the district will be enough to jinx that town from getting a crown. Hopefully. The Rockets can learn a lot from the Astros. Even if they don’t win tonight, the Stros three-year run has been nothing short of admirable.
There’s no time for sightseeing in D.C. After tonight, the Rockets travel to 3 more cities before returning to Houston. Wednesday night, the eyes of the world will be on the city of Houston, where the Astros try and keep a dynasty alive. It will be quite a sight to behold. Houston’s baseball team has been the role model next door for the Rockets over the past few years. The Astros possess a level of chemistry few teams in sports will ever match. Their love for each other on and off the field is so infectious you can feel it watching them play. The Rockets hope to build their own chemistry into something Astro-like. So they can one day be in the position their role models face tonight: one win from a Championship… the ultimate crown.
Capital One Arena: Washington, D.C.
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (2-1): White
Washington Wizards (1-2): Navy Blue
TV: 7 PM CT – ATT SportsNet SW