On January 5, Beijing time, at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, the Rockets will go to the away game with the Wizards. This game will be the Rockets' 39th regular season game of the season, and before they know it, the Rockets stumbled all the way down and finally finished nearly half of the game. That is to say, in the next 40 or so games, the Rockets will also find opportunities to win while cultivating young players, but the Rockets' goal this season will not change, that is, next season's signing, the Rockets must get it.
The Rockets have lost 8 consecutive games before, and now it is time for Silas's team to win, after all, there are too many consecutive defeats, not only Silas's coaching position is unstable, but also makes the rocket's young players lose confidence.
The fighting spirit that has been hard to inspire from the previous 7 consecutive wins may be exhausted, which is not what the Rockets management wants to see. Although the Wizards are not as strong and the number and quality of stars as the Philadelphia 76ers who beat the Rockets in the previous game, this team is also very good. After trading Westbrook for Harrell, Pop, Kuzma and other immediate combat, the Wizards have performed very well this season, and in the previous game they narrowly beat the Hornets in the East by 3 points.
In that game, Wizards guard Bill and forward player Kuzma combined to score 71 points, and in the next game, the Rockets' form and strength were not the Wizards' opponents at all. But there is also good news on the Rockets side, except for Garruba and Brooks, who triggered the agreement and could not play, the rest of the rotation players can basically play this game. Wood and Porter Jr. also returned to the team after ending a one-game suspension.
NBA journalist Ben Dubus also gave the starting lineup of the two teams he predicted for this game, and we take a look. Looking first at the Wizards' expected starters, Dubs believes that the Wizards' starting 5 Tigers will be: Dinwiddie, Beal, Pope, Kuzma and Garford. The Rockets returned to the team due to the return of the main point guard Porter Jr. and the main center Wood, so compared with the previous game, the Rockets' starting lineup has some adjustments.
Dubus believes Porter Jr. and Wood will return to the starting position, while Jaylen Green will return to the starting shooting guard position, Gordon will play a small forward, and Tate will play an important role in the big forward position, and he will defend the Wizards' kuzma. As for Rockets shooter Garrison Matthews, who is bent on showing his skills in front of his old club, he is expected to return to the bench position, but will also get a lot of playing time.
This game is also one of the easier to deal with the Rockets' recent opponents, and if Silas wants the Rockets to end their 8-game losing streak, seizing this opportunity to win the Wizards is the best choice.