While the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder entered the 2022-23 season as young, rebuilding rivals, the Thunder have left the Rockets in the dust as they chase down a potential berth in the Western Conference’s play-in tournament for the playoffs.
Yet, for whatever reason, Oklahoma City’s superior overall play hasn’t extended to the individual matchups. Dating back to the 2021-22 season, Houston has won five of the last six meetings.
That stretch includes Wednesday night, when the Rockets rode another strong game by veteran guard Eric Gordon to a six-point win over the Thunder. On Saturday, however, Gordon isn’t likely to be available due to planned maintenance on the second half of a back-to-back. (Gordon played in Friday’s home loss to Toronto.)
On the other side, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the host Thunder should be far more rested, having not played since their unexpected loss three nights earlier. If they were overlooking the lowly Rockets in that one, it appears unlikely to happen again in a quick rematch.
Gordon said he will not play tomorrow night in Oklahoma City https://t.co/Wk9DGoSyvy
— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) February 4, 2023