Houston heads to the Mile High City to take on the defending NBA champions
Note: I’m writing this preview a couple of hours before the Rockets-Mavericks game tips off. So if something wild happens in that game and I don’t mention it in the preview, you know why. I’ll still update with any pertinent information, if necessary.
The Houston Rockets are headed on the toughest possible road game available in the NBA: a road back-to-back n Denver’s altitude. The only thing saving this from the worst possible scenario is that the Rockets will gain an hour when they make the flight from Dallas. If you close your eyes, you can picture me desperately grasping at straws.
Obviously, the Denver Nuggets didn’t play last night. This Rockets team feels doomed to play a ton of their road games as part of back-to-backs, if only to give detractors the ability to point and scream at Houston’s (almost assuredly) poor road record when the season concludes. Still, there’s a chance that Houston gets a little lucky. The Nuggets were without Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon in Los Angeles on Monday night. Of course, that was in addition to being without Jamal Murray, whose return is imminent. The Nuggets stunned the Clippers, so maybe the Nuggets will decide to give their stars another game to rest since they could feel like they’re playing with house money. Again, I’m reaching for those straws.
Tip-off
8pm CT
How to Watch
Space City Home Network
Injuries/Other
Rockets
Fred VanVleet-OUT (thumb)
Jae’Sean Tate-OUT (knee)
Tari Eason-questionable (leg)
Amen Thompson-OUT (ankle)
Nuggets
Aaron Gordon-questionable (heel)
Jamal Murray-questionable (hamstring)
Nikola Jokic-questionable (back)
Looking ahead because we can
Saturday night in Los Angeles against the Lakers