Courtesy of late heroics by rookie forward Jabari Smith Jr., the young Houston Rockets have their first three-game winning streak of the 2022-23 season. They’ve now won five of their last eight, overall, in what is clearly their best run of form in some time.
Now, in Sunday’s immediate rematch with New Orleans — which remains very much in the Western Conference playoff race — can Smith and the rebuilding Rockets somehow do it again?
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Smith was the obvious postgame storyline for the Rockets, but second-year guard Jalen Green was most impactful for Friday’s game as a whole. The 21-year-old had a team-high 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists on 10-of-20 shooting (50.0%) against the Pelicans.
Defensively, the key is whether Alperen Sengun and the Rockets can find a way to better defend the interior size and physicality of Jonas Valanciunas. The seven-footer finished with 22 points, 17 rebounds, and 4 blocks on Friday, making 10-of-16 shots (62.5%).
- Date: Sunday, March 19
- Time: 6 p.m. Central
- TV Channel: AT&T SportsNet Southwest, NBA League Pass
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free in Houston markets)
Houston Rockets (18-52)
- Guard: Kevin Porter Jr.
- Guard: Jalen Green
- Forward: KJ Martin
- Forward: Jabari Smith Jr.
- Center: Alperen Sengun
New Orleans Pelicans (33-37)
- Guard: CJ McCollum
- Guard: Trey Murphy III
- Forward: Herbert Jones
- Forward: Brandon Ingram
- Center: Jonas Valančiūnas
Projected lineups are based on each team’s previous game.
With Houston’s injury report clean, the Rockets recently opted to send rookie guard TyTy Washington to their NBA G League affiliate (the Rio Grande Valley Vipers) for more short-term playing time.
New Orleans is again listing Zion Williamson (right hamstring strain), Jose Alvarado (right tibial stress reaction), and E.J. Liddell (right knee ACL injury recovery) as out for Sunday’s game.
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