Houston Rockets vs Brooklyn Nets Preview

The Houston Rockets look to go 12-5 Friday night with the struggling Brooklyn Nets coming to town.  The Nets are just 4-11 in the young NBA season, but with the roster that they have, you would think it would translate into more wins.

Feb. 22, 2013; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden (13) drives to the net around Brooklyn Nets power forward Andray Blatche (0) during the first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

The Rockets want to give James Harden’s foot as much time to heal as it needs.  With the Nets coming off a tough loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, and new head coach Jason Kidd questioning his players, while the players are questioning his coaching, this season for the Nets has been all but successful so far.

With the status of Jeremy Lin playing against the Nets with a knee contusion still unknown, the Rockets are still rolling.

Keys for the Rockets Friday night:

Defense:

The Rockets are now starting to establish their defense on opposing opponents, while still getting out and running like they like too.  With Brook Lopez coming into town, Dwight Howard and Omer Asik will have to take turns not only stopping Lopez, but the penetration of the guards as well.

Limit Turnovers:

Turnovers have been a problem for the Rockets since the beginning of last season.  Every game before halftime hits, it seems like the Rockets already have at least 10 turnovers, which has to stop.  While they can get away with it with teams below .500, it’s not a good stat to almost lead the league in.

Chemistry:

This is another game where the Rockets can work on overall team chemistry.  We already know that this team is a close knit group already, just by watching their pre-game antics before the tip off.  What we need to see more of from the team is lack of turnovers, more execution in the half court and better defense.  In the still young NBA season, the Rockets have yet to even reach the crevice of where they could and should be.