In the second game of a home back-to-back, the Rockets host the New York Knicks on Sunday night at Toyota Center. Houston enters coming off Saturday’s blowout loss to Golden State.
Led by All-Star forward Julius Randle, the Knicks head into town with plenty of momentum, having won 10 of their last 11 games to rise to No. 4 in the Eastern Conference standings. However, they will have to navigate their own back-to-back, since they play in Memphis on Monday.
New York is the better team on paper and also has more to play for, since three teams are within two games of them for that No. 4 spot in the East and home-court advantage in the first round of the 2021 playoffs. However, Kevin Porter Jr. and the Rockets have been a lively underdog of late, as evidenced by Thursday’s victory over Milwaukee — the team just in front of the Knicks in the tightly packed East standings.
Here’s when you should tune in to see Sunday’s game:
- Date: Sunday, May 2
- Time: 7:00 p.m. Central
- TV Channel: AT&T SportsNet Southwest
- Live stream: fuboTV (watch for free in Houston markets)
Probable starting lineups
Houston Rockets (16-48)
- Guard: Kevin Porter Jr.
- Guard: Armoni Brooks
- Forward: Jae’Sean Tate
- Forward: Kelly Olynyk
- Center: Christian Wood
New York Knicks (35-28)
- Guard: Elfrid Payton
- Guard: RJ Barrett
- Forward: Reggie Bullock
- Forward: Julius Randle
- Center: Nerlens Noel
As usual in an injury plagued 2020-21 season, the Rockets are likely to be quite short-handed. For Saturday’s game, John Wall (right hamstring) DJ Augustin (left ankle), Sterling Brown (left knee), Dante Exum (right calf), Eric Gordon (right groin), Danuel House Jr. (right ankle), and David Nwaba (right wrist) were all out. Houston won’t issue its injury report for Sunday until midday, since they’re on a back-to-back.
The Knicks are much healthier by comparison, listing only Mitchell Robinson (out, right foot surgery) on their injury report.
In the only other meeting between the teams this season, New York routed Houston on February 13 at Madison Square Garden, 121-99 (recap). The Rockets shot just 8-of-43 (18.6%) on 3-pointers that night in the fifth loss of what would become a historic 20-game losing streak.
Note: This post first appeared on Rockets Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
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