The Rockets take their 3-game winning streak to the Windy City
Again, we’ve hit another benchmark sort of game for the Houston Rockets.
We’ve done this a few times already this season. Most recently, it was the trip to OKC. Tonight’s game is a measuring stick in a different way, however. Whereas the Thunder are clearly better than the Rockets at the moment (at least two tiers better, I’d say), the Chicago Bulls are the sort of team that Houston, on paper, should beat. It’s been a long time since the Rockets were in a position where they “should beat” an opponent, though we saw brief moments of it last season.
At 9-4, Houston is definitely making themselves known. A 56-win pace probably isn’t sustainable, and injuries will bite this team at some point. Still, it’s a nice feeling to know that Houston is, at least for now, in the top half of NBA teams. Of course, with that stature comes expectations, and those are terrifying for a young team starting to put things together.
It’s sort of a given with so many young players, but it feels like Houston will always have at least one player in a funk. Until Friday night, that player was definitely Jabari Smith Jr. Here’s hoping he’s worked his way all the way out of that malaise. Now, our attention turns to rookie Reed Sheppard, who hasn’t shot the ball particularly well this season. That was supposed to be his biggest strength coming into the NBA. He’s also been on the floor for several of Houston’s poor stretches. With Aaron Holliday getting non-garbage time minutes against the Clippers, one wonders if Udoka is planning to bring the veteran point guard off the bench with the second unit in the near future. That could allow Sheppard to observe from the bench or spend some time getting his groove back in the G-League with Cam Whitmore.
Xiane will be in the Playback room tonight, so you should come join to watch the Rockets and talk about the game. Remember, we get a handful of VIP passes that we give out to anyone who wants to watch the game. No League Pass necessary!
Tip-off
6pm CT
How To Watch
Space City Home Network
Injury Report
Rockets
Steven Adams: DTD
Bulls
Lonzo Ball: OUT
The Line (as of this post)
N/A
Check here for updates
Looking ahead because we can
Monday night in Milwaukee against the Bucks