Houston's problem is size. Steven Adams (calf) and Clint Capela (ankle) are both out again, and Ime Udoka has said neither is likely back before this weekend's trip to Washington and Miami. Oscar Tshiebwe missed the Denver game with an illness but isn't on Wednesday's injury report. Even so, the Rockets beat the Nuggets 110-100. Alperen Sengun put up 20 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists, Kevin Durant added 23, 12 and 8, and together they kept up with Nikola Jokic's 25 and 16.
Houston's last 5 games are a mixed bag. The Rockets beat Oklahoma City by 21 and Boston by 16 at home. Then they lost at home to Minnesota and lost by 3 in Phoenix before getting back on track against Denver. When they're playing well, it's because of defense. Across those 5 games, only Minnesota scored more than 102 against them. That matters against a Golden State team that has scored at least 116 in each of its last 5 and just put up 138.
Watch the frontcourt matchup. With Porzingis gone, Golden State doesn't have much size either, so Sengun's passing from the post against a small Warriors lineup could decide this. He's averaging 21.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.8 assists this season. Both teams played Monday, so neither has a rest advantage. Golden State has to fly to Houston for an 8:30 PM CT tip, after 5 straight games at home.
Both teams have the same record, both have injury problems, and each has something the other can't really match up with. For the Warriors, it's a Curry–Lendeborg backcourt that suddenly has 2 scorers. For the Rockets, it's Durant and Sengun, who are each putting up close to a triple-double. Houston's centers start coming back next week, so this is the last game before the Rockets get their size back.
