Rockets face Magic in battle of the tanks

Let’s define “tank,” shall we?

Tank (n): 1. a usually large receptacle for holding, transporting, or storing liquids (such as water or fuel)

2. an enclosed heavily armed and armored combat vehicle that moves on tracks.

OK, those might be the most popular uses of the word “tank,” but that’s not exactly what we’re looking for here. Let’s try this.

Tank (v): to make no effort to win : lose intentionally.

Ah, that’s more like it.

Tonight’s game between the Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic is a battle of the tanks. And, while it sounds awesome to hear “battle of the tanks” — or horrifying depending on the type of person you are — I wanted to supply you with the third definition because that’s what tonight’s game is. And as much as I wanted to riff and provide some more background on how the Magic are tanking, our boy @ak2themax has already done a great job of that, so just read it here instead.

Out for the Rockets tonight are: Sterling Brown, DJ Augustin, Danuel House Jr., David Nwaba, Dante Exum, Eric Gordon, and John Wall. The Magic also have a ton of player out, but I’m not going to bore you with that cause, hey, we’re all tankin’ here.

Some important questions for you tonight:

Who will LOSE tonight’s game? How cool would it be if tonight’s outcome actually plays a role in each team’s draft position? Like — stay with me here — Rockets lose tonight and draft one pick ahead of the Magic. Fun, right? Look, I’m trying to make the most of this game. Which player do you want to see stand out most tonight in the midst of all these players out?

Answers all those questions below, and follow the game along, here, live in the game thread.

Last, but not least, LET’S GO, ROCKETS!