On December 17, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, and the Rockets' opponent today is the Knicks led by Randle. The Rockets have to deal not only with formidable opponents, but also with frequent injuries. In recent games, the Rockets have lost the domineering spirit they once had when they had won seven games in a row, and of course the situation is not that the Rockets players have not worked hard, but that the Rockets have encountered a wave of injuries again — just like last season. Compared with last season, the Rockets' current injury wave is not much better, the team's four major starters Wood, Green, Gordon and Porter Jr. are missing at the same time, and finally the Rockets lost to the Cavaliers in the away game, and only won one victory in 3 away games.
The Rockets played the Knicks at home at 9 a.m. on December 17, and now the Knicks are no longer the dark horse team in the East last season, and although Randall still has the data of averaging two doubles per game, he alone cannot drive the entire Knicks. Thibodeau's team desperately needs a crucial win with the Rockets as a way to alleviate the recent poor form. However, the Rockets are not so easy to deal with, and in the next game, the Rockets' lineup has some subtle changes.
After the start of today's game, Gordon, who took a rotation, has made a comeback in the Rockets' home game with the Knicks, and it should be known that in the previous Rockets narrowly defeated the Eagles, Gordon single-handedly bombed 32 points to lead the team to reverse, and the Knicks were also unlucky in this game, waiting for Gordon's comeback. With the exception of Gordon, the Rockets' other injured players didn't come back. However, Silas also said that in the 3 people of House, Porter Jr. and Jaylen Green, Green's comeback is imminent, and he is the "closest" player to return.
Silas also said House's comeback was between the two compared to Jaylen Green's upcoming return and Porter Jr.'s long-term absence. Wood, a center who did not appear in the game against the Cavaliers, will continue to play against the Knicks, "Wood will not play in the game of tendonitis in his left knee this day and tomorrow, he has been adjusting his knee recently, and there has been a significant improvement. Silas said.
The good news is that Gordon returned to play against the Knicks, Jaylen Green believes that he will return after 1-2 games, and even after the game with the Knicks, Jaylen Green has the possibility of coming back, after all, the 19-year-old young player will recover faster from the injury, compared to Paul in the Western Conference Finals, Jaylen Green's hamstring is better.
As for when Porter Jr. will be able to return to the team, Silas himself does not have a reliable timetable. Before Porter Jr. came out with injuries from time to time, which directly damaged his physical health, now the Rockets let Porter Jr. rest more until he was 100% recovered and then came out to play, which was the most correct choice. After all, like Green, Porter Jr. is also one of the cornerstone guards of the Rockets, and for his injury, the Rockets dare not be sloppy.