OKC Thunder close gap on bottom 3: Tank wars Episode 4
Houston Rockets (16-50)
A quiet early start to week 20 for the Rockets with only one game until the weekend. That being a match versus the 76ers that they lost.
It extended their losing streak to three in a row. This weekend, they’ll play two games as they begin a four-game road trip. On Friday, they face the Bucks, and on Sunday the Jazz.
Typically these matches against top teams this late in the season would warrant a shell roster with the elite team resting core players down the stretch.
However, the Bucks are statistically still in the running for the top seed and have the ever-competitive Giannis Antetokounmpo driven to build momentum heading into the postseason. Likewise, the Jazz are keen to retain the top rung and have to ward off the Suns who own the tiebreak.
In the final week of play the Rockets won’t have any issues meeting their tanking strategy as all four teams they’ll face are current playoff seeds each invested in winning for seeding improvement (Blazers, Lakers, Clippers, Hawks).
| Player | Team | Update | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| D.J. Augustin | Houston Rockets | Thu, May 6, 2021 | Day To Day (Ankle) – Augustin is listed as QUESTIONABLE for May 7. |
| Avery Bradley | Houston Rockets | Thu, May 6, 2021 | Out (Personal) – Bradley is listed as OUT for (May 7. |
| Sterling Brown | Houston Rockets | Wed, May 5, 2021 | Out (Knee) – Brown has not played since Apr. 10 |
| Dante Exum | Houston Rockets | Fri, Mar 5, 2021 | Out (Calf) – Exum is still in a walking boot and no timetable for return. |
| Eric Gordon | Houston Rockets | Fri, Mar 12, 2021 | Out (Groin) – Gordon is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. |
| Danuel House | Houston Rockets | Thu, May 6, 2021 | Day To Day (Ankle) – House Jr. is listed as DOUBTFUL for May 7. |
| David Nwaba | Houston Rockets | Tue, Mar 16, 2021 | Out (Wrist) – Nwaba re-aggravated his strained right wrist. |
| Kelly Olynyk | Houston Rockets | Thu, May 6, 2021 | Day To Day (Ankle) – Olynyk is listed as QUESTIONABLE for May 7. |
| Kevin Porter | Houston Rockets | Thu, May 6, 2021 | Out (Ankle) – Porter is listed as OUT for May 7. |
| Jae’Sean Tate | Houston Rockets | Thu, May 6, 2021 | Day To Day (Health protocols) – Tate is listed as QUESTIONABLE for May 7. |
| John Wall | Houston Rockets | Mon, Apr 26, 2021 | Out For Season (Hamstring) – Wall will miss the remainder of the season. |
| D.J. Wilson | Houston Rockets | Thu, May 6, 2021 | Out (Health protocols) – Wilson is listed as OUT for May 7. |
| Christian Wood | Houston Rockets | Thu, May 6, 2021 | Day To Day (Ankle) – Wood is listed as QUESTIONABLE for May 7 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/7/2021.
As per the above Basketball-Reference injury report, eight Rockets are out and another five are day-to-day. It’s uncertain if this is an attempt at keeping their options open for who to play or if several of these 13 members would be available if Houston was vying for a playoff seed.
NBA rules require teams to have eight players dressed to start a game. That begs the question if any of the Rockets games will be postponed or canceled and if the above13 players can’t go that leaves only four available players. To avoid that happening, Houston needs at least four of the five players noted as day-to-day to play in order to meet that minimum.