Rockets at Hornets
The Houston Rockets have hit a snag on their way to basketball revolution and need to find the magic that led them to a six-game winning streak bridging the All-Star break. The Rockets will try to avoid a three-game slide when they visit the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday.
Houston is trying to win with a small ball lineup but was introduced to the flaws in that plan when it was outrebounded 65-34 by the lowly New York Knicks in a 125-123 loss on Monday and outplayed by a team above it in the standings in a 120-105 home loss to the Clippers on Thursday. "I think missing shots a lot of times is just a product of not being forceful, not being engaged and not being tough," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters after watching his team shoot 36.1 percent from the floor on Thursday. "They smacked us good. We didn't respond." The Hornets nearly picked off another team fighting for positioning at the top of the Western Conference but instead suffered their third straight loss with a 114-112 setback against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. "This is all making us better," Charlotte coach James Borrego told reporters after the loss. "These moments right here are defining moments for us as we build this thing, so nobody is hanging their head. Obviously, we want to win these games. We had a shot to win the last game against San Antonio, had another shot to win tonight against Denver. Just keep plugging away. This thing will turn."
TIME: 5 p.m. ET. TV: AT&T SportsNet Southwest, FS Southeast
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (39-22): The latest setback dropped Houston 3 1/2 games behind the Clippers in the battle for the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference and 2 1/2 behind the third-place Denver Nuggets entering play on Friday. The Rockets went 7-of-42 from 3-point range on Thursday as star guard James Harden went 4-of-17 from the floor and missed all eight of his attempts from beyond the arc. Harden, who leads the league in scoring at an average of 34.6 points, is 19-of-63 from the field over the last three games, including 7-of-38 from beyond the arc.
ABOUT THE HORNETS (21-41): Thursday's loss featured a breakout from point guard Devonte' Graham, who went 8-of-15 from the floor to shoot 50 percent or better from the floor for the first time since before the All-Star break. Graham shot 30.3 percent from the floor in his first five games after the break, including a scoreless performance on 0-of-7 shooting at Chicago on Feb. 20. Backcourt mate Terry Rozier enjoyed a mild breakout of his own on Thursday, knocking down 5-of-9 from beyond the arc after going 2-of-10 over the previous two contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Rockets SG Eric Gordon (knee soreness) left Thursday's game and is not expected to play Saturday.
2. Charlotte rookie PF PJ Washington is averaging 16.5 points over the last four games, raising his season average to 12.2.
3. Houston owns a seven-game winning streak in the series, including a 125-110 home win on Feb. 4.