The Rockets look to take down their Southwest Division foe
This is the sort of game where, if you win, you announce yourself as a legitimate threat every night.
On the road. Against the defending Western Conference champions.
The Dallas Mavericks went on a magical playoff run last season. After dispatching the hobbled Clippers, they broke the analytics against the upstart Thunder and then outgunned the weary Timberwolves. Then they ran into a buzzsaw. That still doesn’t detract from the fact that they won the West in a mostly reproducible way. They didn’t stumble into the Finals, and they expect to be heading there several times over the next few years as Luka Doncic enters his prime.
For the Houston Rockets, this is their first real chance to show that the league needs to view them as a playoff team. If that’s the goal, this is the sort of game they need to be competitive in. Even with a loss, they can show that they belong. What they cannot do is get blown out after having two days off.
Xiane and I will be in the Playback room tonight, so you should come join us to watch the Rockets and talk about the game. Remember, we get a handful of VIP passes that we give out to anyone who wants to watch the game. No League Pass necessary!
Tip-off
7:30pm CT
How To Watch
Space City Home Network
Injury Report
Rockets
Steven Adams: DTD
Mavericks
Maxi Kleber: GTD (hamstring)
Dante Exum: OUT (wrist)
The Line (as of this post)
N/A
Check here for updates
Looking ahead because we can
Saturday night in Houston against the Warriors