Two desperate teams meet at Toyota Center
Technically, tonight counts as another rest advantage game for the Houston Rockets. Those have been few and far between for Houston, but they had been winning those sorts of games until Sunday night’s debacle against the undermanned Heat.
Tonight, the Dallas Mavericks come to town without their best player in Luka Doncic. Klay Thompson missed Dallas’s last game with an illness and is day-to-day. Kyrie Irving also didn’t play against Sacramento with a shoulder injury. Dereck Lively II was also out with a hip. So basically, Dallas handed the game to the Kings and gave Doug Christie his first win as interim head coach. You can expect each of those players to be available tonight.
The initial reaction to Doncic being out would be to get excited and think that Houston should have this game in the bag. That would be silly, especially after Houston’s loss on Sunday. The Mavericks are 7-4 this season without Doncic, and Irving missed two of those. Plus, the Mavs were dealing with suspensions to Naji Marshall (still suspended) and P.J. Washington (very much back) in another of those losses. So basically, when the Mavs are at full health except for Doncic, they’re 7-1. That’s terrifying. Irving’s having an incredible season, and with Amen Thompson out for tonight’s game serving the first of a two-game suspension, Houston is in trouble when it comes to defending the best ball-handler in the league.
Every game for the next month or so is desperate for the Mavericks, but tonight should also be desperation mode for the Rockets. They need this win or else this homestand could turn into a hammer blow that we look back on in April as the beginning of Houston’s downfall.
We’ll 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
7pm CT
How To Watch
Space City Home Network and Playback
Injury Report
Rockets
Tari Eason: GTD
Jae’Sean Tate: GTD
Amen Thompson: OUT
Mavs
Luka Doncic: OUT
Naji Marshall: OUT
Kyrie Irving: GTD
Klay Thompson: GTD
Dereck Lively II: GTD
The Line (as of this post)
N/A
Check here for updates
Looking ahead because we can
Friday night in Houston against the Boston Celtics
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