Let’s get some elephants out of the way.

First, Alperen Sengun suffered a season-ending knee injury during the Houston Rockets’ final game against the Sacramento Kings in the Californian capital. That sounds worse than it was, as Sengun was able to avoid major structural damage and likely would have returned to the team if Houston had been able to compete for a play-in spot. Of course, the Kings were the second win in the 11-game winning streak that Houston continued in March, highlighted by Jalen Green’s monstrous play. A five-game losing streak against playoff teams ended those hopes and Sengun was ordered to stay at home.

Second, the Rockets took a three-game road trip to the West Coast about a year ago. Houston was 6-3 and riding a six-game winning streak that included a blowout win over the Los Angeles Lakers and a tough win over the defending champion Denver Nuggets. All six of those wins came at home, and the road was an unkind mistress for the Rockets last season. The three games in California went like this:

• Los Angeles Clippers: In a close game throughout, Houston led by 5 points with two minutes left. However, the Clippers closed with a 12-1 run, capped by a crucial 4-point play from James Harden with six seconds left. It was Harden’s first win with the Clippers.
• Los Angeles Lakers: Against the same team that had beaten Houston by 34 just 11 days earlier, Houston was defeated several times in the fourth quarter before LeBron James was fouled with 1.2 seconds left in a tied game. James hit the second free throw and that was it.

• Golden State Warriors: Houston’s perennial nemesis was on a six-game losing streak, so of course Klay Thompson found his shot after a lengthy slump. Steph Curry also dropped 32, but the real Rocket killer on the night was Chris Paul, who finished with 15 points, 12 assists, a pair of steals and a game-high +/- of +12. Where was Scott Foster when we needed him? This loss didn’t have the same heartbreaking quality as the LA games, but it was still frustrating because it came against Golden State.

As Houston begins a three-game road trip to the West Coast tonight, it’s important to remember that the Rockets team can win a road game by December 8th. Maybe winning just one of these games would be a victory.

Houston’s final group stage game of the NBA Cup will take place tonight. Houston has already locked up the division and will likely host a quarterfinal game with a point differential of +49. A win tonight means the opponent is probably the Dallas Mavericks. A loss tonight makes the matchup murkier as the opponent could be Oklahoma City, Phoenix or San Antonio. It’s also possible that Houston faces Golden State in the first round, but again, some strange things would have to happen.

We’ll be in the playback room tonight, so you should stop by to watch the Rockets and talk about the game. Remember, we get a handful of VIP passes that we distribute to anyone who wants to watch the game. No League Pass necessary!

Tip

9pm CT

Here’s how to watch

Space City home network and playback TV

Injury report

Rockets

None

Kings

Kevin Huerter: GTD

Trey Lyles: OUT

The line (as of this post)

SAC -1.5

Check here for updates

We look forward because we can

Thursday night in San Francisco against the Warriors