Rockets at Nets
The Houston Rockets got caught in a schedule quirk and will head back to New York on Monday to visit the Brooklyn Nets. The Rockets were in New York earning a 24-point win over the Knicks on Thursday before heading home for one game Saturday and hitting the road again. The Nets are hoping to take advantage of that road-weary club and end a slide that reached five straight with a loss at Detroit on Saturday.
Brooklyn is missing Deron Williams (rib) and is having trouble finding offense with an average of 86.8 points in the last five games. “Every game the turnovers are hurting us,” Nets coach Lionel Hollins told reporters after Saturday’s 98-93 loss to Detroit. “We had shots that would put us ahead or put us ahead further and we couldn’t hit them. And to compound it, we get in crucial stretches where we make a turnover here or a turnover there.” Turnovers could be a problem against the Rockets, who forced a season-high 30 in Saturday’s 97-82 win over Utah.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ROOT Southwest (Houston), YES (Brooklyn)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (26-11): Houston can score with most teams in the league but is working its way into championship-contender status thanks to a defense that ranks third in opponent scoring and third in forced turnovers. "Our defense starts our offense,” Rockets forward Trevor Ariza told reporters. “It gets us rhythm, it gets us into the game and (Saturday) that's what we tried to do.” Ariza recorded five steals in the win over the Jazz and has at least five in three of the last five contests.
ABOUT THE NETS (16-21): Brooklyn pulled to .500 with a stretch of six wins in seven games and looked like it might make a move up the standings in the East before falling hard over the last five games. The current stretch includes losses to sub-.500 teams Miami, Boston, Philadelphia and the Pistons – the 76ers and Celtics at home – and come despite the inside tandem of Mason Plumlee and Brook Lopez combining for some big numbers. “I can’t get inside their heads” Hollins told reporters. “I’m sure they’re frustrated. We’ll have to find out when we play again. That’s when you determine where a team’s psyche is."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Nets snapped a 14-game losing streak in the series with a 105-96 win over the Rockets at home on Apr. 1.
2. Houston C Dwight Howard (knee) had a string of four straight double-doubles come to an end on Saturday but played 37 minutes despite knee soreness.
3. Brooklyn F Mirza Teletovic is 4-of-16 from 3-point range over the last four games and has not scored in double figures in any of those contests.