Houston Rockets (1-5) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (2-3)
Week 3 of the 2022-23 NBA season starts Monday, October 31, with seven games around the league including the Western Conference battle between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena in LA.
The Rockets and Clippers open their four-game regular-season series on the second night of a back-to-back for both teams. Last season, the Clippers went 3-0 straight up and 2-1 ATS versus the Rockets.
Sunday’s games have been excluded from the analysis, and the 1-5 Houston Rockets were looking to snap a two-game skid in a tough road matchup against the Phoenix Suns. Last Wednesday, the Rockets started a four-game road trip with a 109-101 defeat at the Utah Jazz. A couple of days later, they suffered a 125-111 defeat at the Portland Trail Blazers, who missed Damian Lillard due to a calf injury.
“We should have been frustrated with the way we played, especially in the first half,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said after a double-digit loss in Oregon. ”We are putting a lot of pressure on our offense because of our defense. … Not a good night. We’ve got to do better.”
.@jabarismithjr from deeeeeep! pic.twitter.com/GHvZcHbAoc
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) October 29, 2022
Houston allowed 30 assists and 64 points in the paint to the Trail Blazers. The Rockets are yielding 116.2 points per 100 possessions (23rd in the NBA) on 49.1% shooting from the field (28th) and 37.6% from beyond the 3-point line (tied-22nd). They are scoring just 107.5 points in a return (27th) on 42.0% shooting from the field (29th) and 35.0% from downtown (19th).
Jabari Smith was questionable to play Sunday because of a right ankle sprain. The third pick from the 2022 NBA Draft is posting 13.8 points and 6.5 rebounds a night, but he’s making just 34.2% of his field goals. Eric Gordon (15.0 PPG, 3.6 APG) sat out Sunday’s clash against Phoenix, and the veteran sharpshooter is doubtful for Monday’s game in Los Angeles.
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