Houston Rockets vs. Denver Nuggets Injury Report
With its second win over Memphis in as many tries, the Houston Rockets finally have a breathable gap at No. 2 in the Western Conference, but won’t be ready to let off the gas just yet.
At 26-12 on the season, the team has been one of the biggest surprises of the year, largely carried by its wily veterans in Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, and a massive young core, highlighted by center Alperen Sengun.
After losing three out of four games, the team has now course corrected to win four-straight, including wins over the Wizards and Lakers, too.
The primary driving force has been the play of guard Jalen Green, who — along with his fellow 2021 draftees — finally seems to be figuring things out for good. In his last five games, he’s scored 31.6 points on 53% shooting overall, cashing in on a blistering 48% of his 10.8 3-pointers per game.
Guard Amen Thompson has also been a catalyst, taking both offensive and defensive pressure off Green alongside him in the starting lineup. In his last four, all starts, Thompson has scored 18.0 points, nabbed 12.8 rebounds, dished 4.0 assists, swiped 1.8 steals and sent 1.5 blocks per game.
On Wednesday night, the team will face its toughest test in some time in Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. Jokic is amidst another MVP-worthy season, and while the team hasn’t fully lived up to its expectations so far, they’re still a force in the West, and will likely be one of a few teams to make a push for Houston’s No. 2 spot.
Denver won’t be at full strength, having taken down Dallas, 118-99, on Tuesday night, but it won’t be a walk in the park for the Rockets. Here are the injury reports for both teams ahead of Wednesday night’s bout:
Houston Rockets injuries:
Tari Eason — Doubtful: Left lower leg management
Jabari Smith Jr. — Out: Left metacarpal fracture
Jock Landale — Out: Personal reasons
Denver Nuggets injuries:
Vlatko Cancer — Out: Left knee surgery
Aaron Gordon — Available: right calf strain
DaRon Holmes II — Out: right achilles tendon repair
Nikola Jokic — Available: illness
Houston will remain with out its two forwards against Denver. Tari Eason has been out since mid-December with a lingering leg injury, and Jabari Smith Jr. is still out with a hand injury suffered in shootaround weeks ago.
The two are certainly a big towards the teams depth, especially both playing forward, but players like Thompson, Cam Whitmore and more have stepped up in their absence. Since returning from his most recent G League stint, Whitmore's been able to pour on over 12 points per game on 46% shooting, doing his best to provide the scoring punch off the bench with absentees due to injury.
Jokic and Aaron Gordon are available for Denver.
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