Brooklyn Nets vs. Houston Rockets preview: Is Houston a model for Brooklyn?

Houston Rockets v Cleveland Cavaliers — Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

They’re the second seed out West, 5.5 games behind the Thunder but 3.5 ahead of the Nuggets and 4.5 head of the two L.A. teams.

Well that was impressive. The Brooklyn Nets were on the road Wednesday night to face the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets didn’t put up a fight and the Nets cruised to a 21 point victory. Not much more to it then that.

The opponent tonight has been one of the biggest surprises in the NBA this season. The Houston Rockets have been magnificent this season and have a great chance of securing homecourt advantage in the first round. They went down to the wire against the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night, but fell one point short.

Where to follow the game

YES Network on TV. WFAN on radio. Tip after 8 PM.

Injuries

No Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson, De’Anthony Melton, Maxwell Lewis, Bogan Bogdanovic, or Noah Clowney. Dariq Whitehead is back with Long Island.

Jabari Smith is out with a left metacarpal fracture. Alperen Sengun is questionable with a left calf contusion.

The game

Are the Rockets ahead of schedule? Coming into the season, Ime Udoka’s guys weren’t expected to be major players. However, they’ve been better than even the most optimistic Rocket fan could have predicted. Houston has a bright, bright future and they have the room to do just about anything they set their minds to as we head into the trade deadline and beyond.

Someone who’s a big part of that vision is Amen Thompson. He’s been on a great roll in recent weeks, and he’s been a multiplying force for his teammates. Over at The Dream Shake, Nick Stevenson made note of Thompson vis a vis the injured Jabari Smith and said:

The biggest argument against Amen becoming as permanent starter is his lack of 3-point shooting, however the Rockets are shooting nearly 40 percent from the three-point line since Amen has become a starter in Smith Jr.’s absence. His defense leads to fast break points, his penetration into the paint has created open shot opportunities for his teammates when he’s not finishing in the paint at a very high clip.

For as good as he’s been, the super sophomore still has some more miles to go. Udoka talked about that after Thursday’s final possession

Ime Udoka said the final play was drawn up for Amen Thompson. They cut off his path and he kicked it to Fred for the final shot.

— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) January 31, 2025

Live and learn.

If the Nets want to pull off the upset, they’re going to need a big game out of Nic Claxton. The Rockets are the best rebounding team in the NBA this season and assuming Sengun is back for this game, we’ll be seeing a top ten rebounder in the league this season.

Player to watch: Jalen Green

Is this the year Jalen Green finally puts it all together? We’ve been waiting for a good while for the former number two pick in the 2021 Draft to live up to his potential. He’s still got some ways to go, but he’s coming off of the best month of his young career. In January, Green averaged close to 26 points per game on 47/44/89 shooting splits.

Green keeps showing what he can do. The only question has been can he do it on a consistent basis. Of late that question is being answered in the affirmative and with him, Thompson and Sengun all still only 22 years old, Houston is a problem.

Going forward, the Nets can hopefully do what the Rockets have done, make smart trades for picks, build organically, hire a smart young coach and overall make the right decisions at the right time. The Rockets are way further along on that track.

From the Vault

Live from Indianapolis later this evening, it will be the ROYAL RUMBLE! Indianapolis will be hosting the biggest wrestling event of the winter as 30 men and 30 women vie for a chance to main event Wrestlemania. In honor of that, let’s take some trips down memory lane!