The Houston Rockets have listed power forward Kenneth Faried and shooting guard Iman Shumpert as questionable for Tuesday’s game in Toronto, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
Faried has a right hip contusion that he sustained last week against the Charlotte Hornets, and Shumpert has been dealing with a sore right calf since the team returned from the All-Star break.
“It was a blocking foul. It happened between me and Miles Bridges,” Faried said about his injury at Houston’s Saturday morning practice. “It’s in a weird spot. It’s closer to my hip.”
Though he has only played in 16 games since signing with Houston, Faried played a big role in the Rockets’ last win against the Toronto Raptors in January. After starting and playing nearly 38 minutes, he finished the night with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks.
Although Shumpert has played since the All-Star break (two games), he’s only played a combined total of 19 minutes and is clearly not fully healthy yet. His defensive skills would have come in handy against a Toronto team that often posts up on the wing.
Both Faried and Shumpert were unable to play in Houston’s win over the Celtics on Sunday afternoon. Regardless, the Rockets have had fairly good injury luck since returning from the break.
Rockets guard James Harden expressed his joy on Sunday about Houston returning to near-full form.
“We’re finally healthy, so yeah,” Harden said. “And it feels good. We’re winning. Guys know their roles. We’re executing defensively, we’re helping each other out, we’re talking. That’s all it’s about.”
The Rockets have won five games in a row and Tueday’s game will be their second road game. It’ll be fascinating to see if they can keep the streak going despite missing both Faried and Shumpert.
