Rockets vs. 76ers
When/where: 7 p.m. Monday; Toyota Center. TV/radio: ATTSW; 790 AM, 93.3 FM (Spanish), 1010 AM (Spanish). So far: Rockets 11-30; 76ers 22-16.
The timing of the rescheduled game is not ideal for the Rockets. They played Sunday and are 0-6 in the second half of back-to-backs this season. The 76ers have been off since Friday when they topped the Spurs to extend their winning streak to six and arrived in Houston before the Rockets tipped off against the Timberwolves.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH Lineup change and maybe more changes
1 When the Rockets lost in Philadelphia last week, they were without point guard Kevin Porter Jr. and center Christian Wood, with both serving their one-game suspensions. That took away the question of whether they would start Wood and Daniel Theis together to assign Theis to defend Joel Embiid. That could be an option again, especially if Eric Gordon is held out of the second game of the back-to-back. Even if Gordon is out, the Rockets could start Garrison Mathews, as they did in Philadelphia in his first game back from health-and-safety protocols. But Mathews was questionable on Sunday with a sprained ankle, potentially making it difficult for him to play on consecutive nights.
Defending Embiid
2 With Wood suspended, the Rockets started Theis on Embiid and used much more double-team coverages than usual. It did not go well. Embiid dominated, anyway, scoring 31 points with 15 rebounds and 10 assists. But the Rockets also left shooters open, with the Sixers making 17 of 40 3-pointers. If the Rockets are going to double-team Embiid, they would like to limit him to fewer than 20 shots (plus seven free throws) in 30 minutes, especially if the double teams will hurt the defense in other ways. In the past two seasons, Embiid has averaged 32 points and 12.7 rebounds against the Rockets.
Turn on the Green light
3 In the seven games since Jalen Green returned from his hamstring injury going into Sunday’s game, he had averaged 19.3 points on 45.1 percent shooting. The worst game in the bunch was in Philadelphia, sometimes when matching up with the Sixers’ Danny Green. Jalen Green made just 3 of 12 shots, including 1 of 5 3-pointers, against the 76ers, often driving into the teeth of the Sixers’ coverages.
Can the Rockets stop … something?
4 The Rockets have allowed 50 percent or better shooting in eight out of 10 games prior to Sunday’s game against the Timberwolves, with the Sixers making 52.1 percent. The Sixers are not a bad shooting team, making 46.1 percent of their attempts this season to rank 13th in the league, including 35.5 percent of their 3s. But they made 42.5 percent of their 3-pointers against the Rockets’ defense. Only three teams average fewer 3pointers per game than the 76ers, but they made 17 against the Rockets.
Hit the boards
5 The Rockets were outscored 17-14 in second-chance points in the first meeting and will likely have to cut down the Sixers’ scoring off missed shots and might need more than that off the glass, especially if they are going to miss 52 shots again. The 14 second-chance points match the average the Sixers allow, placing them 25th in the league, and are roughly the Rockets’ average, which ranks sixth. But the Sixers typically score 11.4 second-chance points per game, making the scoring off the glass last week another area the Rockets struggled on that end.
INJURY/STATUS REPORT
Rockets: Guard John Wall, forward/center Usman Garuba (health and safety protocols) and center/forward Alperen Sengun (sprained right ankle) are out.
76ers: Guard Tyrese Maxey (health and safety protocols), guard Shake Milton (bruised back), guard Ben Simmons (personal reasons,) forward/center Paul Reed (health and safety protocols) and guard Jaden Springer (non-COVID illness) are out.