At least by record, the Rockets are one of the NBA’s worst teams. While the young group has won five of its last nine games, and three of its most recent four, the totality of the evidence from the 2022-23 season suggests that Houston is clearly among the bottom feeders.
But somehow, at least when it comes to performances away from home, the defending champion Warriors are right there with the Rockets. Golden State, which visits Houston on Monday to wrap up a six-game homestand at Toyota Center, is just 7-29 on the road. Overall, the Warriors enter having lost six of their last eight games.
As the 2023 playoffs approach, could the defending champions be due for those statistical oddities to start evening out? After all, they’ve still yet to come close to securing a playoff berth, which means they should be heavily incentivized to win by any means ncessary.
Going back to the Warriors-Rockets rivalry days of the mid-to-late 2010s, “Splash Brothers” and future Hall of Famers Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have almost always shot well in Toyota Center. That trend continued in an earlier trip to Houston last November, which is one of Golden State’s only road wins all season.
When and How to Watch
- Date: Monday, March 20
- Time: 7 p.m. Central
- TV Channel: AT&T SportsNet Southwest, NBA League Pass
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free in Houston markets)
Probable starting lineups
Houston Rockets (18-52)
- Guard: Kevin Porter Jr.
- Guard: Jalen Green
- Forward: KJ Martin
- Forward: Jabari Smith Jr.
- Center: Alperen Sengun
Golden State Warriors (36-36)
- Guard: Steph Curry
- Guard: Klay Thompson
- Forward: Donte DiVincenzo
- Forward: Draymond Green
- Center: Kevon Looney
Projected lineups are based on each team’s previous game.
Injury reports
On night two of a back-to-back, Houston is listing Jae’Sean Tate as out due to right ankle injury management. Jalen Green (left thigh contusion) and Alperen Sengun (illness) are questionable.
Golden State is listing Andre Iguodala (left wrist fracture), Gary Payton II (right adductor soreness), Ryan Rollins (right foot surgery), and Andrew Wiggins (personal reasons) as out. Meanwhile, starting center Kevon Looney (low back soreness) is questionable.
