The Houston Rockets are perhaps the hottest team in the NBA, coming off six straight victories and a 30-point romp at Oklahoma City on Monday night. Now, courtesy of the NBA’s revised scheduling for the 2020-21 season to minimize travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic, they’ll try and defeat the those same Thunder for a second time in three days.
Since trading James Harden, the Rockets are 7-3 and have consistently ranked among the league’s elite in defensive rating. Suddenly, Houston’s offense is showing signs of matching that form. The Rockets set a new franchise record Monday with 28 made 3-pointers in 52 attempts (53.8%), and they tied for the third-highest-scoring quarter in team history with 48 points — which they also did on Saturday. In Monday’s case, they even tied the all-time NBA record with 11 treys in a quarter.
Besides the potential of Houston’s shooting to regress to the mean, the Rockets could also have a tougher time Wednesday due to the absence of their floor general. John Wall, who hit 4-of-5 from 3-point range (80.0%) on Monday, is sitting out for planned maintenance on the first night of a back-to-back for Houston. Former Sixth Man of the Year Eric Gordon, who led the Rockets in scoring and made 3-pointers during Monday’s blowout win, is the most likely candidate to step into Wall’s starting spot.
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On the other side, the Thunder will also be short-handed, since leading scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is out with a left knee sprain. He could be replaced in the OKC backcourt by Hamidou Diallo, who scored 15 points in 15 minutes on Monday on 6-of-7 shooting (85.7%).
Here’s when you should tune in to see Wednesday’s game:
- Date: Wednesday, Feb. 3
- Time: 7 p.m. Central
- TV Channel: AT&T SportsNet Southwest
- Live stream: fuboTV (watch for free in Houston markets)
Probable starting lineups
Houston Rockets (10-9)
- Guard: Eric Gordon
- Guard: Victor Oladipo
- Forward: Jae’Sean Tate
- Forward: PJ Tucker
- Center: Christian Wood
Oklahoma City Thunder (8-11)
- Guard: Hamidou Diallo
- Guard: Luguentz Dort
- Forward: Théo Maledon
- Forward: Darius Bazley
- Center: Al Horford
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Besides Wall, the Rockets will also be missing defensive ace David Nwaba due to a left ankle sprain. For Houston coach Stephen Silas, reserve guards Ben McLemore and Mason Jones are the most likely candidates to fill some of the minutes that typically go to Nwaba and Wall.
In addition to Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder will again be without George Hill (right thumb sprain); Ty Jerome (left ankle sprain), and former Rockets forward Trevor Ariza (not with team).
Note: This post originally appeared on Rockets Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
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