A quick and digestible look at the most top-of-mind Rockets news of the past few days.
ESPN. Knee woes plaguing Dwight Howard.
“The Houston Rockets are bracing for the loss of Dwight Howard for at least a month due to persistent trouble with his right knee, according to league sources. Sources told ESPN.com that the Rockets, while confident that Howard has enough time to bounce back for the regular-season stretch run and playoffs, fear their defensive anchor will be lost for a period of “weeks” as opposed to days…”
Houston Chronicle. Five things we learned about the Rockets in Saturday’s loss to the Pistons.
“…Howard has been the foundation of their defense. Without him inside, the Pistons easily moved into the lane and the Rockets’ defense collapsed in a variety of ways. Greg Monroe overpowered Rockets big men with post ups. Pistons guard D.J. Augustin moved into the lane and masterfully worked his way around the paint to tear the Rockets apart…”
CBS Sports. Dwight Howard’s absence to hurt progress made by Houston Rockets?
“In a season and a half with Dwight Howard lacing up his sneakers alongside James Harden, the Houston Rockets have been an evolving team. They went from being an offensive juggernaut that chucked a seemingly countless 3-pointers and struggled defensively to a middle-of-the-road offensive team that chucks a lot of 3s and is one of the NBA’s best defensive teams. The transformation made them look more ready for a postseason run, but still on a bit of shaky ground with an offense that doesn’t look impressive anymore…”
And here comes your Power Rankings fix…
NBA.com. Time has come for our No. 1s to meet on the court.
“5. Houston (33-15) Pace: 98.6 (4) OffRtg: 103.3 (14) DefRtg: 99.5 (3) NetRtg: +3.8 (9). With Dwight Howard possibly out for most of February, the Rockets’ margin for error is thin, and their season might have flashed before their eyes when James Harden went down (temporarily) with a knee injury on Saturday. Ten of their next 14 games are at home, but 11 of their next 13 are against teams currently above .500 (against whom they’re 10-12)…”
ESPN. Power Rankings: Week 14.
“…In ESPN.com’s weekly NBA Power Rankings, meanwhile, these teams remain incredibly hard for the committee (of one) to separate. We’ve never allowed ties in these rankings, but the Hawks and Warriors sure make you think about it with the way they keep winning…”