With their 2021 NBA draft lottery odds now secure, there’s no reason for the Rockets not to aggressively pursue some feel-good victories as Houston’s 2020-21 season draws to a close. The question is, do they have enough bodies for that to be possible versus a playoff opponent?
Perennial All-Star Damian Lillard has his Portland Trail Blazers peaking at the right time, having won seven of their last eight games. That’s who the short-handed Rockets will face at the Moda Center on Monday.
Houston has been surprisingly competitive in recent days. Despite having a roster ravaged by injuries, the Rockets lost by only single digits versus a pair of playoff teams on Friday in Milwaukee and Saturday in Utah. Rookie forward KJ Martin and young guard Khyri Thomas did much of the heavy lifting, with each scoring a career-high 27 points on Saturday, but it remains to be seen if they will have any reinforcements arrive in time for Monday’s matchup versus Lillard, CJ McCollum, and the Blazers.
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Portland currently owns the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference standings, which would ensure that their 2021 first-round draft pick goes to Houston. (The Rockets acquired that selection, which is lottery protected, in last November’s Robert Covington trade.)
Should Portland fall to No. 7, the Rockets could move slightly higher in the draft order, but it might also put them at risk of not receiving the pick at all this year — since teams between No. 7 and No. 10 in each conference’s standings are subject to the NBA’s new play-in tournament to make the playoffs. So if the Blazers were to tumble in the standings over the regular season’s final week, there’s a delicate risk-reward balance, from Houston’s perspective. It could potentially nudge the pick higher, but the Rockets certainly don’t want them to miss the playoffs altogether.
With those storylines as the backdrop, here’s when you should tune in to check out Monday night’s game from Portland:
- Date: Monday, May 10
- Time: 9 p.m. Central
- TV Channel: AT&T SportsNet Southwest
- Live stream: fuboTV (watch for free in Houston markets)
Probable starting lineups
Houston Rockets (16-52)
- Guard: DJ Augustin
- Guard: DaQuan Jeffries
- Forward: Anthony Lamb
- Forward: Jae’Sean Tate
- Center: KJ Martin
Portland Trail Blazers (39-29)
- Guard: Damian Lillard
- Guard: CJ McCollum
- Forward: Norman Powell
- Forward: Robert Covington
- Center: Jusuf Nurkic
Houston’s injury report includes 10 of the team’s 17 players under standard contracts: Christian Wood (right ankle), Kelly Olynyk (right ankle), John Wall (right hamstring), Jae’Sean Tate (left knee), Eric Gordon (right groin), Sterling Brown (left knee), Kevin Porter Jr. (left ankle), Avery Bradley (personal reasons), Dante Exum (left calf), David Nwaba (right wrist) and D.J. Wilson (health and safety protocols). Of those 10, the only ones who are potential options to play on Monday are Olynyk and Wood, who are each questionable. The other eight are listed as out.
Portland is much healthier, by comparison, listing only Zach Collins (out, left ankle) and Carmelo Anthony (questionable, right ankle).
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Note: This post first appeared on Rockets Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
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