Kevin Porter Jr. is considered day-to-day for Houston as Stephen Curry comes to town
Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. missed Friday's game against Indiana and his status is day-to-day.After blowing a 20-point lead Friday night in a demoralizing loss to the Pacers, the Rockets rewatched their collapse on the Toyota Center video board at the next day’s practice but could not afford to wallow.
They had to turn the page immediately and prepare to face the defending champion Golden State Warriors at Toyota Center on Sunday night. The Warriors appear far from invincible at the moment but still possess a chemistry and cohesion much different to the Rockets , who on Friday used their eight different starting lineup of the season and might have to repeat it on Sunday. Rockets point guard Kevin Porter Jr. did not play Friday and did not practice on Saturday, considered day-to-day with a lower back injury. Forward Jae’Sean Tate has missed 13 games and center Bruno Fernando has missed 14 games due to injuries. Neither are expected to return within the next week. “Without KPJ last night, without Jae'Sean Tate most of the season, without Bruno, who started the first couple games of the season, and then other guys kind of being in and out, it's hard to be cohesive when your lineup is changing this much,” coach Stephen Silas said. “But, with that said, I think we're as cohesive as we could be.” Sunday’s game against Golden State is the second of a four-game homestand for the Rockets, who are 1-4 at Toyota Center. Here are five things to watch:Golden State has yet to win a game on the road this season , something coach Steve Kerr attributes to a lack of defensive connectivity. The Warriors’ defense is currently ranked 24th in the NBA with a 113.1 defensive rating. Only six teams in the NBA, including the Rockets at 27th, are worse. Home-court advantage has not necessarily helped the Rockets so far. They have won just one home game and average just 106.8 points at Toyota Center, fewer than the 108.5 points they average on the road. The Warriors, though, in away games are allowing opponents to shoot 42.1 percent from deep and average 124.3 points.Jabari Smith Jr. had another rough shooting night against the Pacers, going 4-of-14 from the field and 2-of-8 behind the arc. In his last five games, the Rockets’ rookie forward is shooting 33.3 percent overall and making 29.6 percent of his 3-pointers. Silas said the Rockets are satisfied with the shots Smith has been taking lately; they just aren’t going in. Especially if Porter remains out for Sunday’s game, the Rockets will need Smith to be extra aggressive on offense and look to get his shot whenever he can. The best way to get out of a slump is to shoot yourself out of it.Stephen Curry is the NBA’s third-leading scorer, averaging 32.2 points on 20.6 shots per game and shooting 52.8 percent, 44.3 percent on 3-pointers. He also ranks second in efficiency and third in 3-pointers made. In other words, he is the head of the Warriors snake. That’s been the case for years, of course, but in the past the Warriors were more balanced offensively. This season, Curry is doing the heavy lifting to the point where he dropped 50 points and the Warriors still lost to the Suns. After Curry, Golden State’s next leading scorer and shot-taker by volume is Andrew Wiggins, who averages 18.1 points on 14.2 shots per game. That’s a steep drop-off.is well-equipped to understand the challenges he poses. The Rockets spent part of Saturday’s practice working on closeouts, and will also have to be extra aware of Curry’s off-ball movement.Houston’s bench scored a season-low 16 points in the loss to Indiana on Friday, a symptom of the team’s overall offensive struggles in that game. The Rockets reserves started out pretty solid this season, but their scoring average ranks tied for 21st in the NBA. The Rockets bench is averaging 27.4 points over the past five games after averaging 37.7 the six games prior.
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