Rockets Forecast: January 25
So this week the Rockets have four games. It’s going to be a long and tough week for the Rockets. With them still lacking a go-to player, this week could show us just how good they really are. All games are at home this week so that should afford them a little bit more margin of error.
January 25th, Monday vs the Atlanta Hawks (28-14)
Coming off a loss to the Chicago Bulls the Rockets are looking to come up big against another title contender in the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks are a tough Eastern Conference contender whose depth has carried them thus far this season. The lack of size in this game could really hurt the Rockets as Al Horford continues his maturation with an exceptional learning curve. Jamal Crawford was already considered by many to be the runaway favorite for the NBA’s Sixth Man Award but with his late-game heroics of late, the Hawks will stand to be that much more of fierce opponent tonight. With this being the second contest of a six-game home stand, look for the Rockets to come out firing and playing hard like they have been all year.
January 27th, Wednesday vs the Denver Nuggets (29-14)
The Denver Nuggets are on a nice six-game winning streak and have won nine of their last eleven. This game should be just as tough for the Rockets as the Hawks game on Monday. With their full line-up healthy and starting to roll this could be a defining game for the Rockets. If the Rockets can beat the Nuggets it will prove two key things: (1) despite lacking identity, they can still hang with some of the best in the West, (2) this game could be a nice measuring stick to see what they need to be looking for as the trade deadline continues to rapidly approach.
January 29th, Friday vs the Portland Trailblazers (27-18)
Talk about a team truly bitten by the injury bug, the Trailblazers are still extremely banged up but like the Rockets, are fighting through the season to make it to the playoffs. Not having Greg Oden or Joel Przybilla, the Blazers are lacking the size at center. Needless to say, their frontcourt is struggling to produce much less give the Blazers an advantage. The guard match-up of Andre Miller and Aaron Brooks could be a very interesting one. Coming of two tough games in a row this one should prove to be no different. Banged up and all, the Blazers’ depth has really been able to shine through and consequently they remain a very tough team.
January 31st, Sunday vs the Phoenix Suns (26-19)
The hot Suns have cooled off the winning since a nice start to the season. Meanwhile rumors surrounding them potentially trading Amar’e Stoudemire have done nothing but heat up. Nevertheless, the Suns will be looking to get back on track. Sitting at four and six in their last ten games, things are looking a bit shaky for the Suns. The benches will play key roles in the game. More specifically, the back-up point guard situation between Goran Dragic and Kyle Lowry is going to be one intrigue. Both of these young PGs have flourished in their off-the-bench roles and are two of the more efficient back-ups the Western Conference has to offer. The Suns are no stranger to the fastbreak and so a high scoring affair could be in store as the Rockets wrap up their week.
Prediction (2-2)
The Rockets are going to have two very tough games this week against Jamal Crawford and the Hawks as well as Chauncey Billups and the Nuggets. Should they happen to drop the first two, I believe they will most certainly bounce back with consecutive wins over the Blazers and Suns to close-out the week.
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