The Rockets look to extend their winning streak in their opening game of the NBA Cup.
For the second time this season, the Houston Rockets will play the same opponent in the same building in back-to-back games. Earlier this season, it was the San Antonio Spurs. Tonight, of course, it will be the Los Angeles Clippers.
That Spurs series illustrates the difficulty of playing the same team multiple times in a row. In the first contest, San Antonio raced out to an early lead and then held on as the Rockets attempted the comeback. The second game was the exact opposite: Houston built a big lead and barely held on as the Spurs made their comeback attempt. Teams can easily take hope from a single game. After the first contest, the Spurs believed they could beat the Rockets because…they did. And Houston believed they could beat San Antonio because…they almost did. So even when Houston got out to their hot start, the Spurs were never out of it because they never stopped believing they could win.
Which leads us to tonight. The first game with the Clippers wasn’t really like either of those games. The Clippers had a great first quarter, but Houston’s bench got them the lead at halftime. The second half started tight but eventually Houston grabbed what appeared to be a commanding lead. Then LA’s third stringers pulled within four late and Alperen Sengun and Tari Eason did their thing.
All that to say that tonight will almost certainly play out differently. Ty Lue will probably try to get some of those third stringers early minutes as a reward for their great play in the fourth quarter. James Harden cooked Jabari Smith Jr. and Dillon Brooks in the first quarter then went quiet as Ime Udoka ran the “try getting past Amen Thompson” defense. Maybe Harden figures out counters for Thompson. Or maybe he just goes supernova. Ivica Zubac probably doesn’t miss as many bunnies or get blocked at the rim as often. Or maybe Jabari Smith Jr. busts out of this slump. Or Reed Sheppard makes a three pointer. Who knows what will happen! And that’s part of the fun of the NBA.
Oh, and it’s Houston’s first game of the NBA Cup. I think it’s dumb but I’m not sure how others feel. So I made a poll question.
Xiane and I 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
7pm CT
How To Watch
Space City Home Network
Injury Report
Rockets
Steven Adams: DTD
Clippers
Kawhi Leonard: OUT
PJ Tucker: OUT
Mo Bamba: GTD
The Line (as of this post)
HOU -4.5
Check here for updates
Looking ahead because we can
Sunday night in Chicago against the Bulls