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| The Nets didn't win the Dwight Howard sweepstakes of the 2012 offseason. Now he's destroying opposing defenses in Houston. |
When: 8:00 PM; Friday, November 29th, 2013
Where: Toyota Center; Houston, TX
TV: YES Network
The CupGate incident from the Nets' tough Wednesday night loss to the Lakers is over and done with. Jason Kidd has been fined $50K and now the Nets are back at it in hopes of winning their fifth game of the season, this time against the streaking Houston Rockets.
It's about time the Nets face a team going through similar injury struggles to them. With Deron Williams (ankle), Jason Terry (knee), and Andrei Kirilenko (back) yet again (and Brook Lopez a game-time decision with his own sprained ankle), Jason Kidd's team is shorthanded for yet another game. However, their opponent, the Houston Rockets, is dealing with its own injury problems currently, as Jeremy Lin (knee) is out and James Harden (foot) is also a game-time decision.
Houston; which picked up Dwight Howard, former Nets farget, this summer; still has–even without Lin or Harden–a formidable bunch of scorers, exhibited by the Rockets' 109 points scored per game, good for 1st in the NBA. The Rockets also grab 47 rebounds a contest, which is 3rd-most in the league.
Clearly, Kevin McHale's squad is deeply talented, and most likely won't be significantly deterred by injuries to two key players. Chandler Parsons (noted Net-killer), Dwight, Terrence Jones, Omer Asik, and others help Houston to provide a balanced offensive with both strong perimeter and paint presences. Houston's recent opponents know this fact too well, as the Rockets have won their last three games and six out of their last seven. It's fair to say they're on a hot streak right now.
Probable Lineups
BKN- Shaun Livingston (PG), Joe Johnson (SG), Paul Pierce (SF), Kevin Garnett (PF), Andray Blatche (C)
HOU- Aaron Brooks (PG), Patrick Beverley (SG), Chandler Parsons (SF), Terrence Jones (PF), Dwight Howard (C)
Final Thoughts
As of the posting of this, it's not known whether Lopez and/or Harden are going to suit up for their respective teams this evening. If Brook is ready to go and Harden isn't, then maybe Brooklyn will have a decent shot of garnering a major road upset victory. But if Harden is healthy enough to play, and either Brook is or isn't, then it's not going to be easy at all for the Nets to pull off a win tonight.
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