HOUSTON – It's been a rough three game stretch for the Houston Rockets, especially their defense. Losing winnable games against on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers sits a poor Houston road record of 2-10.
At home, the Rockets snapped their 11-game winning streak against the Atlanta Hawks. At 13-12 in the 9th seed in the Western Conference, facing the next team with near a top offense in the Dallas Mavericks, the Rockets defense is facing yet another hurdle. It's been an ongoing struggle slowing down each recent teams leading guard scorer.
As they prepared their next game against the Mavs, news broke on Thursday that Luka Doncic will be out with a quad issue, via Marc Stein. Initially, Dallas would be playing without one of the co-stars in Kyrie Irving, who is still recovering from a foot injury. It's a big blow to Jason Kidd's squad to lose your best player. In the month of December, Doncic has been unconscious, averaging 40.4 points.
In the last matchup against the Rockets, both Luka and Irving combined for 68 points, more than half of the overall points scored. Now, both of their stars appear out for Friday along with rim protector in Derek Lively II.
Rockets catch a break
The Rockets desperately need a dub in the win column. This game could be a great chance to take advantage of, a confidence booster for the Ime Udoka's squad. Jalen Green needs confidence on offense. Jabari Smith Jr. can pick up where he left off in the previous matchup. Sengun needs to play better defense.
Hopefully Amen Thompson gets healthy soon so he can offset the heavy minutes Fred VanVleet has used. The last few games have seen VanVleet average 44, 45, and 39 minutes. This extreme usage from a veteran guard who's made a significant impact to the team in year one shouldn't be the answer going forward. Like any other player, his impact isn't going to end well with these minutes.
Defensive Woes
Over the last three games, Houston has coughed up a poor 131.9 in defensive rating (DFRG). On a closer look, Alperen Sengun has been the culprit for the lack of consistent starting lineup defense. During the Hawks game, the Rockets had a 151.9 DFRG when Sengun was on the floor and a 113.0 DFRG when he was on the bench.
This update for Houston shouldn't be a complete jump to conclusions for the team. Dallas still has a capable squad alongside Irving and Doncic. Josh Green is currently questionable to return, but Dante Exum will continue to start as Kidd's point guard.
He's been having an unexpected resurgence, averaging 16.1 points on 62.8% from the field and 53.3% percent from deep. Rishaun Holmes will likely receive more minutes down low, with Grant Williams, Seth Curry, and Dwight Powell spacing the floor.