Warriors vs Rockets: Injury Updates, Team News, Match Preview & Predictions

Fixture: Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets

Date & Time: Wednesday, December 25, 2019, 5:00 PM ET (10:00 PM GMT)

Venue: Chase Center, San Francisco

Preview-

The game between Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors might have been expected to be fierce game when the schedule was announced. However, a few things have changed since then.

The Warriors have Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson sitting out, most probably for the entire season. For a majority of the games in the season, they were forced to field their rotation team. As a result, they find themselves at the bottom end of the Western Conference with just seven wins in 31 games. Two of the wins however, came in the last two games, winning two in a row for the first time this season. They would be looking to come up with an upset and take their streak to three when they face the Rockets on Christmas.

The Rockets are currently first in the Southwest Division and third in the Western Conference with a win-loss record of 21-9. James Harden is Houston’s leading scorer as well as assists with 38.6 points per game and 7.4 assists per game.  Center Clint Capela is the leading rebounder for the Rockets as he has averaged 14.5 rebounds per game, including an average of 4 per game while on offense.

Injury updates & team news-

Golden state warriors-

Injuries: Glenn Robinson III (Ankle), Kevon Looney (Abdomen)- Out, Stephen Curry (Hand)- Out, Klay Thompson (Knee)- Out

Expected starting line-up: Damion Lee, D’Angelo Russell, Draymond Green, Alec Burks, Willie Cauley-Stein

Houston Rockets-

Injuries: Gerald Green (Foot)- Out, Nene (Hip)- Out, Eric Gordon (Knee)- Out, Thabo Sefolosha (Illness)- Questionable

Expected starting line-up: James Harden, Russell Westbrook, PJ Tucker, Danuel House, Clint Capela

Predictions-

Although the teams are quite a long way apart in the league table, the Christmas fixture can have a few tricks up its sleeve. The Warriors have won their last two games.  In their 113-104 win over the Pelicans in the last game, D’Angelo Russell led Golden State in scoring on the night as he totaled 30 points while Draymond Green led the Warriors in rebounds on the night totaling 14. The All-Star duo would once again be expected to do well in the tough Rockets fixture, when the Warriors will be looking to influence an upset on the night.