In a matchup headlined by the initial return of John Wall to his longtime NBA home, the Houston Rockets visit the Washington Wizards on Monday. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. Central at Capital One Arena.
More than the homecoming, Wall and the Rockets are primarily focused on ending a season-long losing streak of five games. They will again be short-handed, with star big man Christian Wood (right ankle sprain) and veteran guard Victor Oladipo (right foot strain) each listed as out.
The Wizards have the third-worst record in the NBA, so on paper, it seems to be a good chance for Houston to end its slide. The Rockets convincingly defeated Washington in late January, even with DeMarcus Cousins starting for Wood. That game, however, was at Toyota Center.
Here’s when you should tune in to see Monday’s rematch:
- Date: Monday, Feb. 15
- Time: 6 p.m. Central
- TV Channel: AT&T SportsNet Southwest
- Live stream: fuboTV (watch for free in Houston markets)
Probable starting lineups
Houston Rockets (11-15)
- Guard: John Wall
- Guard: Eric Gordon
- Forward: Jae’Sean Tate
- Forward: PJ Tucker
- Center: DeMarcus Cousins
Washington Wizards (7-17)
- Guard: Raul Neto
- Guard: Bradley Beal
- Forward: Garrison Mathews
- Forward: Rui Hachimura
- Center: Moe Wagner
The Wizards will be on the second night of a back-to-back, though both games are in Washington, which means no travel in between. The Wizards may also benefit from Sunday’s game (a 104-91 victory over the Celtics) having a midday start time, which will buy them a few more hours of rest than what teams normally have in back-to-back scenarios.
Former Rockets guard Russell Westbrook played Sunday afternoon and has yet to play in both ends of a back-to-back this season. Thus, it seems likely that he could miss Monday’s game versus his old team.
Brooks says they won't know until tomorrow if Russell Westbrook will play against Houston. Hasn't played in the second half of a back-to-back all season.
— Ava Wallace (@avarwallace) February 14, 2021
The Wizards and Rockets are each among the NBA’s 10 worst offenses by net rating, but Houston entered Sunday with a huge advantage on the other side. The Rockets are No. 4 on defense for the 2020-21 season, whereas Washington ranks second-to-last (No. 29) in the league.
Note: This post first appeared on Rockets Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
