The Rockets (19-20) will wind down an increasingly miserable road trip with Wednesday’s game versus the New York Knicks (23-17).
Houston is 4-14 on the road this season, and it is 1-4 on the current six-game trip against Eastern Conference opponents. This road stretch is Houston’s longest of the 2023-24 season and the longest for the franchise in more than a decade. As the days have mounted, the performances have grown gradually worse.
In the second and third games, the Rockets lost in overtime in Chicago before winning at Detroit. Since then, they were dominated in losses at Boston and Philadelphia.
The good news is while the Knicks are a quality team, they are generally viewed as a tier below the Celtics and 76ers. Thus, before heading home, Alperen Sengun and the Rockets have a realistic opportunity to climb back to .500 and keep pace in an extremely tight race for the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference standings (the final spot of the West play-in tournament).
Houston remains without valuable second-year forward Tari Eason, who has struggled with recurring soreness in his left lower leg since suffering a stress reaction in the 2023-24 preseason.
When and How to Watch
- Date: Wednesday, Jan. 17
- Time: 6:30 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 (19-20)
- Guard: Fred VanVleet
- Guard: Jalen Green
- Forward: Dillon Brooks
- Forward: Jabari Smith Jr.
- Center: Alperen Sengun
New York Knicks (23-17)
- Guard: Miles McBride
- Guard: Donte DiVincenzo
- Forward: OG Anunoby
- Forward: Julius Randle
- Center: Isaiah Hartenstein
Projected lineups are based on each team’s previous game.
Injury reports
Houston’s injury report lists Victor Oladipo (left patellar tendon repair) and Tari Eason (left lower leg injury management) as out, while Reggie Bullock (lower back pain) is questionable. Nate Hinton and Jermaine Samuels Jr. are in the NBA G League, while Nate Williams was recently recalled and is with the Rockets.
New York is listing Mitchell Robinson (left ankle surgery) as out, while Jalen Brunson (left calf contusion) and Josh Hart (left patellar tendinopathy) are both questionable. Brunson did not play for the Knicks in their last game on Monday (a home loss to Orlando).
Jan. 17 uniform choices
- Rockets: Black Statement Edition
- Knicks: White Association Edition
