As their Western Conference play-in tournament odds continue to fade, the Rockets (23-29) may have finally found something of a silver lining. After a miserable, winless four-game road trip, Monday marks a return to Houston, where they are 18-9 this season. That’s a stunning discrepancy relative to their woeful 5-20 road record.
And after weeks of being short-handed due to widespread rotation injuries, the Rockets will face an opponent that isn’t close to full strength, either. As of Monday, the New York Knicks (33-20) are without Julius Randle, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson.
On the other side, the Rockets could have more help on the way, since star center Alperen Sengun, who missed Saturday’s loss to Atlanta with lower back pain, was upgraded to questionable.
Unfortunately, Tari Eason, Fred VanVleet and Cam Whitmore remain sidelined. Houston is 11-19 without Eason and 0-5 in games without VanVleet during the 2023-24 NBA season.