On March 9, Beijing time, after two back-to-back games with the Grizzlies and Heat, the Rockets finally returned to the home court. Tomorrow at exactly 9 a.m., Silas' team will play a showdown with the Lakers at home. Before the game, the Lakers came to the news, there is a doubt about the injured James, thick eyebrow brother continues to recover, so the next Lakers game, it is likely that Westbrook single core team and the old owner - Houston Rockets to compete.
Fortunately, according to the Lakers, although James may not play, the probability of the Lakers' outside players Munch and Tucker Jr. is very high. Look at the Houston Rockets side, the previous game with the Heat, the Rockets were in the residual lineup, Wood was suspended due to illness, Gordon also got a recess in the back-to-back game, Schroeder was injured and could not play.
Therefore, in the previous game, the Rockets' Shin Jing and Matthews replaced Wood and Gordon as the starting players, and against the Lakers, the Rockets are likely to change the starting lineup. According to rocket reporter Jonathan Fagan pre-game report, the Rockets still have many players who are injured and may be absent, specifically: Wall has a non-play agreement with the Rockets, so he will not play; in addition, Garruba is still in the recovery period after surgery, and there is still no possibility of playing.
Garuba and Wall are certain not to play, while the Rockets' other four tough players, Wood, Schroeder, Matthews and Tate, are in a state of "doubt" in the game. The specific performance is that Wood's illness is not yet better, while Tate has a sore left ankle, Matthews has an ankle sprain, and Dennis Schroeder, who has been absent for many games, is in a "right ankle sprain".
It seems that the ankle has become the main cause of injuries for the Rockets players, and the status of these four players is doubtful, that is, only 50% of the players may play. Only by waiting until the moment before the match can these players decide whether to play in the game.
But there is good news. According to Fagan, the Rockets' 33-year-old veteran Eric Gordon, who took a break from the previous game, will officially return in the game against the Lakers. In this way, if Wood still can't play, the Rockets' starting lineup may become: Porter Jr., Jaylen Green, Gordon, Tate and Shenjing, and if Tate can't play, Martin Jr. or even Christopher Jr. will start on top, of course, depending on the injury situation of these players and Silas's on-the-spot decision.
In short, as the season draws to a close, the Rockets don't have to fight so hard, and the absence of multiple players due to injuries is not a big problem. After all, didn't the Rockets recall the development league point guard Knicks and small forward Quinn to the team before? And the Rockets' marginal substitutes Nouaba and Fernando can also get more playing time. This is good for Silas to scout different players and try more tactical routines. If James does not play this game, then if the Rockets' Porter Jr. and Green play normally, it is not impossible to defeat the Lakers at home.