Houston Rockets vs Cleveland Cavaliers Preview

Mar 22, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin (7) dribbles the ball against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second quarter at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Keys for the Houston Rockets against the Cleveland Cavaliers Saturday night.

Injury Update

The injuries are slowly getting better, but Omer Asik and Greg Smith are still ruled out. James Harden, who’s missed the past two games with a sprained thumb on his shooting hand, will be a game-time decision, as will Francisco Garcia, who has been out for the past week.

Containing Kyrie

The Cavaliers offense begins and ends with All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, who’s averaging career highs of 21.6 points and 6.1 assists. It’ll give Patrick Beverley another opportunity to do what he does the best: pester and pressure opposing point guards for 94 feet. While Irving may very well get his usual numbers, the Rockets must contain him enough to let his teammates go off as well.

Eastern Dominance

The Rockets are 11-3 against the East this season, with two of those losses coming to playoff caliber teams(Indiana and Atlanta), while the other loss was a crazy, early season, up-and-down affair with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Cavs have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA so far this year at 16-30, when many predicted that they would make the playoffs.