On night two of a tough road back-to-back, the Houston Rockets visit the injury ravaged Cavaliers on Monday night. Cleveland will be without a pair of high impact starters in Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, who are sidelined for weeks due to injuries.
But it’s far from an easy game for the improving Rockets, who will be battling their own fatigue issues while facing an opponent that still has plenty of talent — headlined by a pair of recent All-Stars in shooting guard Donovan Mitchell and big man Jarrett Allen.
Houston enters with five wins in its last six, while Cleveland has dropped three of four. But the Cavaliers won their most recent game on Saturday versus Atlanta, while Houston took a loss in Sunday’s competitive loss against an NBA title contender in Milwaukee.
For the Rockets, it’s the first of three back-to-backs over the next 10 days. They also have one on Dec. 22 (home versus Dallas) and Dec. 23 (at New Orleans) and on Dec. 26 and 27 versus Indiana and Phoenix, respectively. Both of those final two games are in Houston.
When and How to Watch
- Date: Monday, Dec. 18
- Time: 6 p.m. Central
- TV Channel: Space City Home Network, NBA League Pass
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free in Houston markets)
Probable starting lineups
Houston Rockets (13-10)
- Guard: Fred VanVleet
- Guard: Jalen Green
- Forward: Dillon Brooks
- Forward: Jabari Smith Jr.
- Center: Alperen Sengun
Cleveland Cavaliers (14-12)
- Guard: Donovan Mitchell
- Guard: Max Strus
- Forward: Isaac Okoro
- Forward: Dean Wade
- Center: Jarrett Allen
Injury reports
Houston’s injury report will not be officially released until a few hours before tipoff, owing to the back-to-back. On Sunday, they were without Victor Oladipo (left patellar tendon repair), Amen Thompson (illness), and young prospects Cam Whitmore, Nate Hinton and Jermaine Samuels Jr., who are currently in the NBA G League.
On Monday, the Cavaliers will be missing Darius Garland (jaw fracture), Evan Mobley (left knee injury management), Ricky Rubio (not with team), and Ty Jerome (right ankle sprain).
Dec. 18 uniform choices
- Rockets: Black Statement Edition
- Cavaliers: White Association Edition
Latest interviews
Ime Udoka on the elbow Fred VanVleet took early in the game:
"Very similar to the call they called on Dillon. Fred got elbowed too. One goes one way and one goes the other. I can see it from the opposite end and three refs can't see it right there." pic.twitter.com/bVvqpYYdCJ
— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) December 18, 2023
