Inside The Rockets

Rockets Sit Back as NBA Cup Begins

The Houston Rockets are on the couch for the first night of NBA Cup action.

Jeremy Brener

Nov 10, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley (5) drives up court past Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) in the fourth quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Nov 10, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley (5) drives up court past Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) in the fourth quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
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The Emirates NBA Cup kicks off its second tournament tonight, and even though the Houston Rockets aren't in action, they will get to sit back and watch as the first game is set to take place.

The Rockets are in West Group A alongside the Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, and tonight's opponents: the Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

A lot is riding on tonight's first game because it sets the tone for the group. One of the five teams will win the group based on head-to-head matchups and tiebreakers will be settled on point differential.

While the Wolves, who made it to the Western Conference Finals last season, should be massive favorites against the rebuilding Trail Blazers, the NBA Cup has a way of spiking up the competition at the beginning of the league's season.

Teams like the Blazers can find ways to play spoiler while other squads like the Rockets can use this as a way to build experience in a high-intensity game.

The Rockets finished second place in their group last season behind the New Orleans Pelicans, who went on to win West Group B and advance to the semifinals in Las Vegas, where they were blown out by LeBron James and the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers.

This year, they will hope for better fortunes.

Houston's NBA Cup run begins on Friday against the Clippers at Toyota Center.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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