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The Houston Rockets are still shorthanded. The team withstood weeks and weeks of games with no Dwight Howard or Terrence Jones earlier in the season, but it has become evident -- and most poignant on Saturday -- that the situation cannot sustain.
Dwight Howard won't play tonight, but he was listed as doubtful before the game, so that's something. Josh Smith will play and that's something else. But Howard and Jones are by far the team's best rebounders, and without them, this happens:
In the past 10 games, the Rockets have allowed an average of 14.9 second-chance points per game, third-most in the NBA in that stretch
— Joel Blank (@RocketsManJoel) March 23, 2015
The Pacers host the Rockets sporting big men Roy Hibbert and David West who figure to have a field day on the glass. The Rockets just have to hope for another brilliant James Harden performance, and not the clunker he threw up against the Suns, to have a shot to keep pace with the Grizzlies tonight.