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If you asked me to list all of the bad things that have happened to Houston this season, we would be here for a long time. So let’s focus on some of the positives.
The Rockets have had the chance to develop some of their young players. Jae’Sean Tate, Kevin Porter Jr., and Kenyon Martin Jr. have each gotten plenty of minutes and opportunities to show their talent. They all could be part of the team moving forward, or could become assets that Rafael Stone can move for picks and players.
The other positive development has been the schedule. For the first time in recent memory, the schedule has broken kindly in Houston’s favor. When your team is contending for big things, the schedule is fraught with danger. Every game is either another game against a playoff team or a trap game against a young and hungry lottery squad. Down the stretch, you are always playing teams right ahead of and behind in you in the standings, and the game is always at their place. Always.
So it’s with a degree of wry karma that in a season in which Houston needs to lose as many games as possible, the schedule is stacked with games against playoff teams down the stretch. With 12 games remaining, only one (Minnesota this Tuesday) comes against a team outside of the playoff picture. There’s always a chance that teams get locked into spots in the last week or so to where they might play backups, but as of right now it looks like Houston is going to get the opposing team’s best shot in every game.
All for a 52% chance of landing in the top 4. I think I’m going to have a heart attack on lottery night.
Tate turned an ankle. Wood and House both limped through past ankle injuries. Rockets might have to consider an unavailable player as available just to have minimum of 8 on Sat. "At this point, I don't have any idea what we're' going to have on the floor tomorrow," Silas said.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) April 24, 2021
Well.......
— Cayleigh Griffin (@cayleighgriffin) April 24, 2021
The Rockets injury report is UGLY
Out:
DJ Augustin
Avery Bradley
Sterling Brown
Dante Exum
Eric Gordon
Danuel House Jr
David Nwaba
Kevin Porter Jr
John Wall
Christian Wood
Tip-off is at 9pm CT on AT&T SportsNet Southwest
Poll
Who (Whom?) should the Rockets send to the lottery?
This poll is closed
-
80%
Rudy T
-
20%
Someone else (answer in comments)