Rockets rest Danuel House Jr. for third straight game with toe sprain

Danuel House Jr. is feeling better, but with Friday’s game having little meaning, Houston erred on the side of caution and held him out.

Starting forward Danuel House Jr. sat out a third consecutive game for the Houston Rockets on Friday due to a left toe sprain.

The game versus Philadelphia had no significance in the standings or with regards to playoff seeding, so they were understandably cautious.

“He feels a lot better,” head coach Mike D’Antoni said pregame of House. “I think he’s going to warm up, and see how he feels.”

However, given the lack of stakes to the game, D’Antoni said he instructed House to only play if he was completely pain-free. Most of the Rockets’ regular rotation players were scheduled to play just a half, D’Antoni said, with the team choosing to effectively use Friday’s game as a practice to help them get in rhythm before the playoffs.

It’s unclear when House first suffered the injury, but he shot just 2-of-14 (14.3%) on 3-pointers in his most recent two games.

By contrast, in House’s first three games at the NBA’s Disney World “bubble,” House made 18-of-37 (48.6%) from 3-point range.

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For the 2019-20 season, House is averaging 10.5 points (36.3% on 3-pointers) and 4.2 rebounds in 30.4 minutes per game. He’s started 52 of 63 games, and at 6-foot-6, House is one of the most athletic, long, and defensively versatile options for Houston’s small-ball scheme.

Eric Gordon and Jeff Green rounded out a larger-than-usual starting five for the Rockets, with D’Antoni experimenting with a frontcourt trio of Green next to usual starters P.J. Tucker and Robert Covington. Since joining the team in February, Green has backed up Tucker at center.

Game 1 of the first-round playoff series between Houston and Oklahoma City is scheduled for Tuesday, and House is fully expected to be ready for that game. Considering the likely absence of Russell Westbrook to start the series, House is a strong candidate to start versus the Thunder.

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