In a matchup of two young teams who are much improved from their 2020-21 seasons, the Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Both teams have won eight of their last 10 games.
While the Rockets staged an epic comeback to nip Atlanta on Monday, what’s most impressive about the run by Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and the Cavs is the sheer dominance. Each of those eight wins has come by double digits, and they’ve beaten a number of potential playoff teams including Chicago, Dallas, and Miami twice. The losses came by an average of only 4.5 points versus Utah and Milwaukee.
Making matters more challenging is the fact that the Rockets are on a back-to-back, since they also play at home Thursday versus New York. Between the two games, it seems that Wednesday is the more likely option for targeted maintenance, since Eric Gordon (right groin tightness) is listed as out and Christian Wood (left knee tendinitis) is questionable. Gordon has consistently missed one game on this year’s back-to-backs.
To overcome those types of absences by key veterans, Houston will likely need reserves such as DJ Augustin, Alperen Sengun, KJ Martin, and David Nwaba to come up big for a second straight game (and perhaps even more so, since Gordon scored a season-high 32 points in Atlanta).
As the short-handed Rockets end their three-game road trip, can they hang with the surging Cavaliers? Here’s when and how to watch:
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 15
Time: 6:00 p.m. Central
TV Channel: AT&T SportsNet Southwest, NBA League Pass
Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free in Houston markets)
Probable starting lineups
Houston Rockets (9-18)
Guard: DJ Augustin
Guard: Armoni Brooks
Forward: Garrison Mathews
Forward: Jae’Sean Tate
Center: Christian Wood
Cleveland Cavaliers (17-12)
Guard: Darius Garland
Guard: Isaac Okoro
Forward: Lauri Markkanen
Forward: Evan Mobley
Center: Jarrett Allen
Projected lineups are from each team’s official game notes.
In addition to being without Gordon and possibly without Wood due to back-to-back considerations, usual starting guards Kevin Porter Jr. (left thigh contusion) and Jalen Green (left hamstring strain) remain out indefinitely. Houston will also be without veteran forward Danuel House Jr. (left ankle sprain) and guard John Wall, who has not played this season as part of a mutual agreement during the offseason.
For the Cavaliers, Collin Sexton (left knee meniscal tear) is out, while rookie big man Evan Mobley (right hip soreness) is questionable.
If both teams were healthy, one big storyline would be Green versus Mobley, since Mobley went at No. 3 in the first round of the 2021 NBA draft — just after the Rockets picked Green (over Mobley) at No. 2. But that rookie clash will have to wait until a Feb. 2 rematch in Houston, since Green is already ruled out and Mobley is questionable. Another storyline that will have to wait until 2022 is the first game for Porter to face the organization that traded him to Houston 11 months ago.
This post originally appeared on Rockets Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
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