Rockets Win 3 Straight

Houston won over in-state rival, San Antonio, but it came at a price as star big-man Alperen Sengun went down with a knee injury. His timetable to return is unknown. It was a tightly contested game, but the Rockets pulled away early in the 4th on the back of a 21-point performance from Fred VanVleet. The Rockets shot just 31% from beyond the arc, but the defense managed 10 steals.

Houston enters this game averaging 112.8 points per game, which lands them at 20th in the league. The Rockets haven’t done too much scoring in the painted area this season, averaging fewer than 50 points down low per game, but they should be able to attack the basket with some promise here as Washington has struggled around the low block. Scoring down low with have further importance as Houston has struggled to find any consistency beyond the arc. On the season, Houston is sitting 29th in 3-point percentage and the 12.2 3’s per game is 20th in the league. What has allowed the Rockets to hang around in contests this season somewhat stems from their ability to get to the free-throw line. These shots haven’t always fallen at a consistent rate, however. A couple of other key contributors are ball security and rebounding. Houston sits 10th in turnovers per game, and this has allowed the Rockets to get the most out of their possessions. Along with the strong ball security, the Rockets are 7th in offensive rebounds per game and will likely benefit from second-chance points here.

On the defensive end of the court, Houston is allowing 112.5 points per game, which lands them at 10th in the NBA. The Rockets have defended the paint well this season and sit top 10 as they are allowing fewer than 50 paint points per game. The shooting defense, overall, has been very solid. The Rockets are sitting 9th in the league in opponent effective field goal percentage and are currently 3rd in the NBA in opponent 3-point percentage. Houston has also been keen on forcing turnovers and should continue to benefit here as Washington has demonstrated the inability to protect the basketball. On top of that, these steals should translate to quick, open-court baskets. Winning the battle on the glass will need to have more of an emphasis here as Sengun will be out of the lineup and others will need to step up. If Houston can keep Washington off the offensive boards here, they should like their chances.

Wizards Continue Road Trip

After taking game one in their four-game road trip, Washington fell at the hands of Memphis. The Wizards outshot the Grizzlies from the field and beyond the arc, but they finished -15 in the rebounding battle. This led to Washington securing just four offensive boards. Kyle Kuzma (24) and Corey Kispert (22) led the way for Washington.

Washington enters this contest averaging 114.2 points per game, which is good for 17th in the league. The Wizards have been one of the better interior scoring teams this season as they sit 3rd in the NBA with 55 paint points per game. Scoring down low has been critical to this offense as Washington sits 28th in 3-point percentage. The Wizards are sitting in the top half of the league in 3-point attempts, but their 12 per game lands them in the bottom 10. Along with the poor outside shooting, Washington has not gotten to the free-throw line that often, and is bottom 10 when it comes to converting at the line. Turnovers have also been a concern for this offense. The inability to protect the basketball has often left Washington with dead possessions. We also haven’t seen much consistency on the offensive glass from the Wizards, and if they want to hang around on the road here they’ll need to generate some second-chance points.

On the defensive end of the court, Washington is allowing 123.7 points per game, which lands them at 30th in the league. The Wizards have struggled to get stops in the painted area this season and are sitting around the bottom of the league as they allow nearly 60 paint points per game. The overall shooting defense has struggled for the Wizards, who are 27th in opponent effective field goal percentage, though they have defended the perimeter pretty well. Despite sitting in the bottom half of the league in opponent 3-point percentage, Washington sits 10th in 3-pointers allowed per game. The defense has also been pesky in the sense that Washington has been able to poke the ball away, which has launched them to 2nd in the NBA in fast break points. As will be the case with the offense, the defense will need to win the battle on the glass. This will be a particular challenge considering Washington sits last in the league in opponent offensive rebounding rate.