Thunder vs. Rockets: Houston To Remain Without Jalen Green And Kevin Porter Jr.
HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets (12-38) are coming off one of their most impressive wins of the season. Down their head coach and three starters, the Rockets squeezed a 117-114 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
Coach Stephen Silas missed Saturday's contest in Detroit to attend a memorial service for his late father, Paul Silas.
"I was proud of our guys," Silas said. "The way they fought and played; I told them I was proud — even my staff. To be where I was and to see that we got a win, it felt good."
Silas will return to the sidelines inside the Toyota Center Wednesday night for the Rockets' contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder (24-26). And joining him in his return is Alperen Sengun, who was a late scratch due to a non-COVID illness.
But the Rockets will remain short-handed due to the absence of Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr.
Green will miss his second consecutive game due to a right calf contusion, while Porter revealed the Rockets are taking his potential return day-to-day. The absence of Houston's starting backcourt will continue to provide minutes to Josh Christopher, Daishen Nix and TyTy Washington Jr.
"Whoever wants it can take it," Silas said. "That's the greatest part about this, it gives other guys an opportunity, and it's there for them to take."
Rockets Injury Report:
- Kevin Porter Jr. (left foot contusion) OUT
- Jalen Green (right calf contusion) OUT
Oklahoma City Thunder Injury Report:
- Luguentz Dort (right hamstring strain) OUT
- Chet Holmgren (right foot surgery) OUT
- Aleksej Pokusevski (left tibial plateau) OUT
Three things to watch:
Sustaining their dominance:
Dating back to the 2020-21 season, the Rockets have won five of their last seven meetings against the Thunder. Houston took a 118-105 win over Oklahoma City in their last meeting on Nov. 26. Alperen Sengun recorded 21 points, a season-high 19 rebounds and seven assists.
Another game against a team ranked top-10 in scoring:
The Thunder are entering Houston as one of the best-scoring teams in the league. They have averaged 116.9 points, which ranks sixth in the league. In 14 games against the top-10 scoring teams, the Rockets have given up an average of 122.0 points while going 3-11.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's spectacular season:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is in the midst of a career year. He scored 31 points in the Thunder's previous game against the Golden State Warriors. And ahead of Wednesday's contest against the Rockets, Gilgeous-Alexander is currently fifth in the league in points per game (30.9).
Dating back to last season, Gilgeous-Alexander has recorded 38 30-point performances over his last 57 games.
Silas described Gilgeous-Alexander as a player who can be top-10 in the league one day. He scored a career-high 44 points (17-of-29 FG) on Dec. 23 in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
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