Starting forward Danuel House Jr. sat out for the Houston Rockets in Tuesday’s game versus San Antonio due to a toe injury.
House joined James Harden (rest) and Eric Gordon (left ankle sprain) as usual rotation players who did not play against the Spurs.
House was first listed on Houston’s injury report on Monday with what the team called a “left toe sprain.” At the time, he was considered questionable to play. On Tuesday morning, just before Houston’s afternoon tip-off versus San Antonio, head coach Mike D’Antoni clarified the situation and said it was not a big concern. Among his comments:
He has a big toe that he stubbed. He needs probably a day to get over it. There’s no use pushing it. He’s been playing a lot of minutes, anyway. So on a back-to-back, it’s probably better if we try to get it totally well.
It’s unclear when House suffered the minor injury, but it’s worth noting that he shot just 2-of-14 (14.3%) on 3-pointers in his last 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 among the tallest and most athletic and defensively versatile options for Houston’s small-ball scheme.
Judging by D’Antoni’s comments, the 27-year-old should be fine long before the 2020 NBA playoffs, which begin early next week. The status of House for the Indiana game on Wednesday, which is the second-to-last of the regular season for the Rockets, is not yet clear.
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