Third-year guard Jalen Green has suddenly played spectacular basketball over the past five games, but Houston is just 2-3 over that stretch. In Wednesday’s loss to New Orleans (27-21), part of the issue was a superior opponent, and the other part involved off nights by big man Alperen Sengun and several Rockets shooters.
On Friday, as the Rockets (22-25) conclude a three-game homestand at Toyota Center, Houston appears to have a golden opportunity to finally put it all together at the same time.
That’s because their opponent is the struggling Raptors (17-30), who enter with nine losses 11 games. That run largely coincides with a trade of OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks and Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers, which weakened Toronto’s high-end talent.
On paper, this is a game the Rockets need to win as they continue their push for a Western Conference play-in tournament slot. Houston is 17-9 at home but just 5-16 on the road, and they will begin a tough four-game road trip on Sunday with a visit to Minnesota (34-14), where the Timberwolves currently lead the West standings.
Thus, prior to heading out on the road, it would be extremely beneficial if the Rockets can take care of business at Toyota Center by banking a win and securing a winning homestand for the week.
In contrast to Jonas Valanciunas and the Pelicans, the Raptors have recently started an undersized Thaddeus Young at center (due to Jakob Poeltl’s injury), which should be more favorable to Sengun. Houston was out-rebounded versus New Orleans, 56-29, and Sengun shot an uncharacteristic 4-of-11 from the field (36.4%).
Friday’s game is also the first time Fred VanVleet will face his former team since signing with Houston in 2023 free agency. Thus, both teams may have this circled on their calendars, and VanVleet would love to bounce back versus his old team after shooting just 27.9% on 3-pointers over his past 11 games. He should be due!