The month of December has been filled with highs and lows for the young Houston Rockets. At one point, they had a five-game home winning streak at Toyota Center, and they’ve had some impressive wins over teams like Phoenix (twice), Milwaukee, and Philadelphia.
They have also had some clear low points, like Saturday’s lethargic showing while shooting 3-of-29 on 3-pointers (10.3%) in a home loss to Portland and a Dec. 8 blowout loss at San Antonio, where the Spurs entered with 11 consecutive losses at the time.
On Monday, when the Spurs make their return visit to Houston, the Rockets have an opportunity to make amends for those disappointing performances, including one against that same in-state rival.
Perhaps the biggest key will be a return to form by second-year guard Jalen Green, who leads the Rockets in scoring this season but is shooting just 23.2% on 3-pointers over his last 15 games.
When and How to Watch
- Date: Monday, Dec. 19
- Time: 7 p.m. Central
- TV Channel: AT&T SportsNet Southwest, NBA League Pass
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free in Houston markets)
Probable starting lineups
Houston Rockets (9-20)
- Guard: Kevin Porter Jr.
- Guard: Jalen Green
- Forward: Eric Gordon
- Forward: Jabari Smith Jr.
- Center: Alperen Sengun
San Antonio Spurs (9-20)
- Guard: Tre Jones
- Guard: Devin Vassell
- Forward: Jeremy Sochan
- Forward: Keldon Johnson
- Center: Jakob Poeltl
Projected lineups are based on each team’s previous game.
Injury reports
Houston’s injury report lists Jae’Sean Tate (right ankle soreness) and Garrison Mathews (non-COVID illness) as out.
San Antonio will be without Josh Richardson (personal reasons) on Monday, while Keldon Johnson (low back contusion) and Romeo Langford (stomach illness) are each questionable.
