Houston Rockets forward Danuel House Jr. sat out Friday’s road game versus the Los Angeles Clippers with left shoulder soreness, but he appears likely to play in Sunday’s home matchup versus Dallas.
Head coach Mike D’Antoni updated the status of House prior to Friday’s game at Staples Center. The Rockets (11-4) entered having won eight of their last nine games, with House as a starter and key contributor.
With House out, the Rockets started Ben McLemore at small forward, just as they did last week when House missed three games with a bruised back. At 6-foot-3, McLemore is considerably smaller than the 6-foot-6 House and offers less defensive versatility.
House’s latest short-term injury occurred during Wednesday’s second half in Denver, when he ran into a screen set by 284-pound Nikola Jokic.
House flexed his arm for several minutes on Houston’s bench, hoping he would be able to return to the game. However, he eventually left the court, and the team announced that he would not return.
In 12 games this year, House is averaging 11.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in 28.9 minutes per game, and he’s been one of Houston’s top three-point shooters at 44.6%. His defensive rating of 104.0 is among the best of any player in the current Rockets rotation.
