Houston Rockets vs. Brooklyn Nets game preview

Does anyone else find it weird watching the Brooklyn Nets now?

At least, from the perspective of a Houston Rockets fan I’ve totally changed my attitude towards them. For most of the year, I desperately wanted the Nets to lose every game since Houston owns their first round draft pick. The worse the Nets do, the better it is for Houston.

But then Rafael Stone shook up that thinking by trading for the right to swap that pick with the Clippers pick. And even after the trade deadline, somehow the Nets continue to win and the Clippers continue to be...okay. Obviously, I now want both teams to lose, but neither team seems likely to drop to the lottery. Brooklyn would need to drop into the play-in spots and then not get through against teams like Atlanta, Toronto, and Washington. That’s certainly possible, but feels unlikely. The Clippers are currently eighth in the West, with most of the teams behind them struggling (New Orleans, LA Lakers) or stealth tanking (Utah, Portland, OKC). So it appears that neither squad is going to give Houston fans the miracle they want. Still, there’s clearly value in the middle of the first round as Alperen Sengun and Tari Eason have shown.

Still, this is one of those games that the Rockets probably want to win, but also want to lose. Like the Spurs games. Be ready for a result that half the fanbase loves and the other half hates. Because it’s silly season, after all.

Tip-off is at 7pm CT on AT&T SportsNet Southwest