In a battle between the Western Conference’s second-worst and third-worst teams by record, the Rockets kick off the second half of the NBA’s 2020-21 regular season with a game in Sacramento on Thursday night.
Houston (11-23) enters on a 13-game losing streak, which is the franchise’s longest in more than 20 years. The Kings (14-22), however, aren’t in much better shape — having lost 11 of their last 13 games. Both sides are hoping that having more than a week away from basketball will help them to start fresh and mentally move past their recent struggles.
By net rating, the Rockets clock in at No. 27 in the NBA on offense (105.7), No. 11 on defense (110.4), and No. 25 overall (-4.7), per NBA.com data. The Kings are tilted in the other direction, pairing the No. 9-rated offense (113.5) with a league-worst defense at No. 30 (119.1). Overall, Sacramento’s -5.6 net rating is at No. 26, one spot behind Houston.
The Rockets do have the game’s most significant injury, unfortunately, with star center Christian Wood (right ankle sprain) set to miss his 14th straight game. Danuel House Jr. (right knee contusion) is also out, while Eric Gordon (left knee soreness) is questionable. By comparison, the Kings are in a much healthier state. Among regular rotation players, only Hassan Whiteside (health and safety protocols) is listed as out.
David Nwaba, Rodions Kurucs, and Dante Exum are also out, but those are longer-term injuries that we already knew.
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) March 11, 2021
The Rockets, however, do have at least some reinforcements out of the All-Star break, with second-year guard Kevin Porter Jr. and rookie forward KJ Martin both recalled from Houston’s G League affiliate. They will also have another newcomer in rookie forward Anthony Lamb, who is replacing Mason Jones as one of Houston’s two-way players.
Here’s when you should tune in to see Thursday’s game:
- Date: Thursday, March 11
- Time: 9:00 p.m. Central
- TV Channel: AT&T SportsNet Southwest
- Live stream: fuboTV (watch for free in Houston markets)
Probable starting lineups
Houston Rockets (11-23)
- Guard: John Wall
- Guard: Victor Oladipo
- Forward: Jae’Sean Tate
- Forward: PJ Tucker
- Center: Justin Patton
Sacramento Kings (14-22)
- Guard: De’Aaron Fox
- Guard: Buddy Hield
- Forward: Harrison Barnes
- Forward: Marvin Bagley III
- Center: Richaun Holmes
The Rockets are 2-0 against the Kings this season, but both of the wins came in late December and early January — when James Harden was still on the roster. (He did miss one of the games due to injury.)
In the most recent matchup between the teams, John Wall led Houston with 28 points (50% FG) and 6 assists in a 102-94 home victory (recap). If there’s a positive omen for the Rockets from that game, it’s that the Jan. 2 win came without Harden. However, it did include Wood.
The Rockets are 0-13 since Wood sprained his right ankle on Feb. 4 in Memphis. In the eight previous games, Houston was 7-1. Thus, even against the reeling Kings, it could be another tall order on Thursday.
Note: This post first appeared on Rockets Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
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